The CCNY STEM Institute's Srinath Neelamagam at the Congressional App Challenge.
For the third-year running, members of The City College of New York’s STEM Institute are winners of the Congressional App Challenge in New York’s 13th District.
The triumphant CCNY team comprised (all 11th graders unless indicated]:
• Aarush Kumar (Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics);
• Jett Rosado (NYC Lab School;
• Srinath Neelamagam (Townsend Harris High School); and
• Trinity Parris (10th grader, Convent of the Sacred Heart).
They designed the app EMTY to help users gain more control over their commute, hopefully making it faster. The quartet participated in last summer’s STEM course at CCNY entitled “App Development & Entrepreneurship.”
“The winning app reflects the students' creativity, technical skills, and entrepreneurial mindset, reinforcing the course’s mission to equip young innovators with the tools to design, build, and launch impactful applications,” said Gareth Williams, Special Projects Coordinator in CCNY’s Office of the Senior Associate Provost. “Their success in the Congressional App Challenge highlights the power of education, mentorship, and hands-on learning in shaping the next generation of tech leaders.”
The Congressional App Challenge is an 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. Each Congress Member selects a winning app from their district, and each winning team is invited to showcase their winning app to Congress during its annual #HouseOfCode festival.
This year’s Challenge set new records, with an unprecedented 382 U.S. Representatives hosting competitions—surpassing the previous high of 374. Approximately 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.
According to the organizers, the urge in participation reflects the increasing excitement around STEM and highlights a bright future for American innovation.
The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from the Broadcom Foundation, AWS, Rise, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
About the CCNY STEM Institute
The City College of New York’s STEM Institute is a challenging academic enrichment organization designed to encourage under-represented minority middle and high school students to maximize their academic potential by providing them with educational programs in college-level study. The STEM Institute prepares students for the greater demands of college-level study and helps the m adjust to campus life. It offers academic and tutoring support services designed to help students prepare for these unique challenges.The STEM Institute was initiated in 1992, with the support of NASA and CAHSEE, to ensure that Hispanic Americans, females, and other under-represented minority students achieve academic excellence by means of continuous programmatic support during their pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate years. Click here to read more.
About the Entrepreneurship & App Design Course
This unique hybrid course empowers students with the skills to solve real-world problems through technology and sustainable business models. Over four weeks, students learn UI/UX design using Figma, master wireframing and interactive prototyping, explore digital marketing and business development, and refine their startup pitching skills. The program emphasizes problem-solving, financial literacy, and user-centered design, culminating in a fully functional app prototype and a compelling business pitch.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
p: 917.892.0374
e:
jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu