IngreID wins Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Washington’s Seventh District
Rep. Pramila Jayapal has named Yuran He, an eleventh grader at The Downtown School: A Lakeside School, as the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Washington’s Seventh District.
When asked what inspired the creation of IngreID, the student said, “Food is a fundamental need for existence and is an important way to bond a group of people, but when there is little clarity around what people can and cannot consume, it creates unintentional exclusion and isolation.
After watching my friends with severe allergies miss school from sickness due to accidentally consuming food that contained their allergen, or having to sit out of events because the hosts didn’t have a way to vet all the food there, I sought to make a way for people with dietary restrictions to participate and enjoy their lives to the extent of everyone else.
IngreID was inspired by the difficulty and exclusion people with multiple allergies and intolerances face. The app is built on the empathy I feel towards those who struggle with these issues. It is hard for friends and family to keep track of all the allergies people have, so this app is a quick and easy way for everyone to eat safely. Ingredients labels tend to contain confusing names which makes it difficult for average people to figure out what is safe. People should not need to take a risk every time they eat. They should not have to suffer from rashes and vomiting due to negligence from their peers. Providing an easy and accurate way for people to check what is contained in ingredients lists would solve this problem.
Many of my friends and I suffered from a long, long list of allergies as children, and it was difficult and time consuming for our parents to find food that we could safely eat. This is made even worse when the language the ingredients list is in is not their first language. This app can easily be combined with a translation app to help folks overseas and folks who are traveling. This app has lots of room for expansion and will make life easier for many people. I hope this app addresses some of the isolation, exclusion, and strife people with dietary restrictions face.”
This year’s Congressional App Challenge set new records, with an unprecedented 382 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions—surpassing the previous high of 374. An incredible 12,682 students from across the country participated, representing a growth of over 1,000 students compared to 2023. These talented students submitted an astounding 3,881 original applications, showcasing their creativity, passion for technology, and the limitless potential of America’s next generation of innovators. This surge in participation reflects the increasing excitement around STEM and highlights a bright future for American innovation.
The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. This resounding show of bipartisan support emphasizes the critical importance of STEM education in today’s rapidly evolving world. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and each winning team is invited to showcase their winning app to Congress during our annual #HouseOfCode festival.
The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from the Broadcom Foundation, AWS, Rise, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2024 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May of 2025, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.