Westwood High School students took top honors at the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Texas’ 37th District. Junior Yuejia Y. and recent Westwood alum Harshada C. were recognized by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett in January at the App Challenge Honors Presentation in Austin.

“We were really happy when we won,” Yuejia said. “It means there’s a chance we can really put this app to use, and since we’ll have a chance to present it to lawmakers, we think that we really want to see it implemented and see it be of use to our community.”

For the competition, Yuejia and Harshadha created an app called Homonium that uses AI to connect people with free legal advice. The girls also secured a trip to Washington, D.C., in April, where they will present the app alongside winners from throughout the country.

“There were a few topics we wanted to do,” said Yuejia. “In the end, we thought there was a huge technological and language barrier in our generation and other generations when it comes to our legal system. We thought legal aid specifically was really confusing and wanted to find a way to make resources more accessible and make the process less stressful for people.”

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives host districtwide Congressional App Challenges for middle and high school students each year.

The goal of these competitions is to “inspire, include, and innovate efforts around stem, coding, and computer science education.”

A team of four students from Grisham Middle School also successfully competed in the contest. Viraj V., Shivank A., Pranav K., and Vihaan G. took second place with their app NutriknightsAI, an interactive Minecraft-like app that aims to teach children about nutrition in a fun and engaging way.

Grisham Principal Kyla Mills thanked Congressman Doggett for his hospitality and expressed pride in her students’ joint accomplishment.

“I’m proud of our Round Rock ISD students for taking on this challenge,” Mills said “I love that students are rewarded for being young creators and entrepreneurs while finding ways to help others.”

For more information on the Congressional App Challenge and future participation, visit https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/students/student-registration/.