CA Technologies Puts on Guppy Tank App Challenge, CAC’s Rachel Décoste Judges

New York, NY. –  CA Technologies and PENCIL partnered to host the Guppy Tank App Challenge on June 14 in midtown Manhattan. Rachel Décoste, Congressional App Challenge Director, served on a panel of judges from STEM-related fields. Décoste expressed great enthusiasm for the Guppy Tank App Challenge and its participants.

“I was impressed by the innovative ideas and technical ability of these bright young people” said Decoste.

PENCIL is a nonprofit that partners businesses with public schools, and CA Technologies is a company that offers software designed to help businesses achieve their goals, overcome typical obstacles and maximize their value. CA Technologies is a sponsor of the Congressional App Challenge(CAC), which is a congressional initiative that encourages middle and high-schoolers to learn to code through annual district-wide competitions hosted by their Members of Congress.

In the first 3 years of the Congressional App Challenge, the program yielded 605 App Challenges across 42 states. Over 2,400 apps have been created by nearly 9,000 students, and participant demographics surpass all industry diversity metrics.

The Guppy Tank App Challenge began in 2016 and is modeled after the popular business reality show Shark Tank. The Guppy Tank Challenge was created to encourage New York City students to get involved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. STEM fields are growing at a faster rate than any other field, and STEM workers are reported to make 26% more than their non-STEM counterparts.

Participating students from NYC middle schools were asked: “What’s your big idea for an app that will revolutionize New York?” The participants presented their apps at the challenge, including entries like the winning app “Digi Bag,” an app that would allow students to access all their textbooks and notebooks on their mobile devices.

We encourage all middle schoolers from NYC and beyond, to keep innovating, keep coding, and also enter their projects into their local Congressional App Challenge.