Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke in collaboration with New York City Council Member Rita Joseph and Assemblymember Brian A. Cunningham awarded the winners of the Congressional App Challenge of 2022. The award ceremony took place at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022.
Congresswoman Clarke expressed words of appreciation for all those who participated prior to awarding the 2022 winners stating, “Congratulations to each of the tremendously creative and talented winners of our 2022 Congressional App Challenge! Not only have these students demonstrated their own academic excellence through these projects, but they have shown just how brightly the future of Brooklyn shines. I thank them for their participation in this year’s competition, and I cannot wait to see what achievements lay on their horizons. On behalf of myself, New York State Assemblymember Brian Cunningham, and New York City Councilmember Rita Joseph, we would like to thank all students from the 9th Congressional District who participated in this year’s 2022 Congressional App Challenge. We are extremely proud of you! Please, continue to keep up the good work!”
Seventh-grade students Ashie-Kay Murray, Amellia King, Joshua Irving, and Seth Lawrence were among the Congressional App Challenge winners. They attend Brooklyn, New York’s Ebenezer Preparatory Middle School.
Their computer science instructor Melodie Grace told Caribbean Life in an interview that it was “such an honor to be a part of the STEM-focused, youth engaged, community development curriculum.”
She continued, “these students who are of Caribbean descent have worked independently and earned their recognition. They proved their knowledge of coding, understanding of user-accessibility, and having a user-friendly design. They were able to administer information about the game and tips.”
Furthermore, a few of the winners indicated interest. Math, programming, Spanish, and science are Lawrence’s favorite academic topics, while he enjoys playing soccer, computers, and engineering as hobbies. King enjoys science at school and has a passion for mental health and coding games.
The challenge is a national competition that promotes minority children’s interest in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math). These are the global industries that are expanding and developing at the highest rates. Students that compete in this event have the chance to boost the economy and be successful in their future undertakings. Minority and underprivileged pupils have increased their participation in the program significantly.
This challenge was created in 2013 by U.S. House of Representatives leaders who were enthusiastic about and believed it was necessary to empower middle and high school students to learn to code and explore technology. Additionally, this challenge gives pupils the chance to experiment with the fundamental relevance of the digital world and increases their likelihood of succeeding at coding. Additionally, it is a method for elected leaders to give back to the community and continue to be active in students’ academic development.
Brian A. Cunningham, an assemblyman from Brooklyn (AD-43) addressed the victors and said the following:
“It gives me great pleasure to honor the winners from Brooklyn’s 9th congressional district. I am so proud of our students for all the hard work they’ve done leading up to this momentous occasion. The Congressional App Challenge is such a great opportunity for young students to learn more about computer science and begin acquiring the skills needed to pursue a career in this exciting and ever-expanding field. STEM is the future- if that isn’t already abundantly clear, that fact only continues to impress upon us. We must do everything we can to encourage our students to participate in STEM education which provides them with the tools and skills needed to enter the nascent future with confidence.”
Congratulations to the Congregational App Challenge 2022 winners! Also congratulation to the judges who helped choose the winners, including Judge Robert Alleyne, the founder of the Alleyne Consulting Group, Nickay Piper, the founder of the Way Creative House, and Khalid Pagan, the manager of META’s politics and government outreach program.
