Zoom Link Manager wins Rep. Mary Scanlon’s (PA-05) 2020 Congressional App Challenge
Rep. Mary Scanlon has named Gavin John from Strath Haven High School as the winner of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge in (PA-05).
When asked what inspired the creation of Zoom Link Manager, the student said, “Like many school districts, mine was forced to begin the year online. Teachers were well-prepared and provided Zoom links to their classes. However, during the first days of school, I had trouble moving from one class to another in the few minutes allowed. To respond to these difficulties, I wanted to create an app that would store and organize all of the links necessary.”
Over 6,500 students registered for the 2020 Congressional App Challenge. These students created and submitted 3,088 functioning apps, marking the end of an extremely successful Congressional App Challenge amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All told, 308 Members of Congress hosted Congressional App Challenges in their districts across 49 states, Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands, and Washington, DC.
The CAC is an initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host competitions 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. The Internet Education Foundation provides the CAC with supplemental support. In the six years of the Congressional App Challenge, thousands of functional apps have been created by over 30,000 students, and participant demographics surpass all industry diversity metrics.