The Recycle Disciple wins Rep. David P. Joyce’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Ohio’s 14th District
Rep. David P. Joyce has named Ayesha Faruki, an eleventh grader at Mentor High School, as the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Ohio’s 14th District.
When asked what inspired the creation of The Recycle Disciple, the student said, “I wrote a paper last year for my AP Seminar class on how recycling and other sustainable waste management affects the environment. I learned that a big contributor to environment harm is inaccurately recycled waste, and I found that a lot of things that I thought were recyclable actually weren’t. Many times when I’m trying to throw something out, I end up staring at the different bins to determine which one is probably the best, since I want to make the environmentally sound choice, but don’t know how to. I created this app to help myself out with this process and help others like me.”
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.