Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) announced Alexander Sherbrooke, Hershraj Niranjani, and Ryan McCombs, students from the High School at Moorpark College, as the winners of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge for California’s 26th Congressional District. The students created Quiznot, a game-based learning app designed for students, teachers, and parents.
“Every year, the Congressional App Challenge highlights the creative and innovative spirit of Ventura County students,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “I want to congratulate Alexander, Hershraj, and Ryan for Quiznot, which makes learning fun and engaging and easily accessible through mobile apps.
“I also want to congratulate the over 50 students who took part in this year’s challenge. STEM projects like these are crucial to a well-rounded education, and I am proud of the hard work showcased in this year’s competition.”
“The Congressional App Challenge has given us the platform and motivation to design a project that could impact the lives of thousands of people, and it continues to provide this opportunity to driven students like us every year. The next generation of computer scientists should take advantage of this incredible opportunity to make a tangible impact in their communities. Quiznot is an example of a project that has limitless potential to expand into something so much more than a simple contest submission. We hope that other future challengers will take after us and develop something that they are truly passionate about,” said Quiznot developers Alexander Sherbrooke, Hershraj Niranjani, and Ryan McCombs.
“During the pandemic, we found it increasingly hard to focus on studying. We created Quiznot as a way to hook students into learning through progressively challenging games that can be played on any device, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. We also made it easy for teachers and parents to assist their students in accelerating the learning process through collaborative features.”
“We saw the Congressional App Challenge as the perfect opportunity to turn Quiznot from a simple idea into a fully functional application that could be used by students and teachers all across the country. The challenge’s competitive nature not only helped us to focus on delivering a high-quality app but also to gain valuable feedback in guiding future development. We wholeheartedly recommend that any aspiring software engineer take advantage of this incredible opportunity to share their vision with the world,” continued the students.
“Alex, Hersh, and Ryan exemplify the high standards to which our High School at Moorpark College students hold themselves, so it is no surprise they received this honor,” said Dr. Shirleen Oplustic, High School at Moorpark College Principal. “The entire High School at Moorpark College community is extremely proud of all three of them and their achievements, especially winning the 2021 Congressional App Challenge. Congratulations to all three of you on your well deserved success!”
“This was my first time judging the Congressional App Challenge,” said Dana M. Thompson, Director of Education Technology with Ventura County Office of Education. “I found that all submissions were innovative, well thought out, and showed that our students are thinking of real world problems and solutions.”
The Congressional App Challenge is a competition organized by Members of Congress across the country for middle school and high school students to create their own software applications and gain experience with computer coding. Submissions from students across Ventura County were judged by a panel of experts including: Dr. Ramon Flores, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Outreach Coordinator at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division and Member of the Ventura County Board of Education; Dr. Catharine Reznicek, Director of Education Technology at the Ventura County Department of Education; Joaquin Licea, Director of Technology at Santa Paula School Unified District; Shannon Gillespie McComb, IP Litigation Lawyer at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, LLP; and Dana M. Thompson, Director of Education Technology at the Ventura County Department of Education.
To view the Quiznot video submission, click here. To learn more about the Congressional App Challenge, click here.
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Issues: 117th Congress, Local Issues