Joseph Guadagno

Microsoft Developer Services MVP, Public Speaker, Senior VP of IT at RT², Organizer of Desert Code Camp

2 minute read

I was proud to participate in the Congressional App Challenge last year even though it was just to help promote it in Arizona. The Congressional App Challenge is a Congressional initiative to encourage student engagement in STEM and, more specifically, computer science. Middle and high school students from across America are invited to participate.

They are looking for students to participate and companies to help sponsor.

I was lucky enough to get invited to the finals presentation in Washington, DC for the last one and was very impressed with what these students created. If you have a student or students that are interested in technology, I urge you to take a look and encourage them to apply for the competition. If you are company that is looking to help grow the interest in technology, believe me we do, please visit the sponsor section of their site.

Details on the program are below

Congressional App Challenge

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The annual Congressional App Challenge (CAC) launches today (7/8/2019). The CAC is a Congressional initiative to encourage student engagement in STEM and, more specifically, computer science. Middle and high school students from across America are invited to participate. Student registration opens today!

Over 250 members of Congress have registered to host a challenge for their district’s students. “The Congressional App Challenge is the largest series of student coding competitions in the world,” said Tim Lordan, Executive Director of the Internet Education Foundation, which was appointed as the CAC’s official sponsor by the U.S. House Of Representatives.

The CAC was created because Congress recognizes how essential computer science and STEM skills are for economic growth and innovation, and that the U.S. is currently experiencing a dearth of adequately trained technical talent. By some estimates, there are nearly a quarter of a million unfilled programming jobs in the US. The CAC is a congressional effort to maintain American competitiveness by proactively inspiring our youth and encouraging them to pursue these crucial skills.

The Congressional App Challenge winners receive official recognition from their Member of Congress, and their app is displayed at the U.S. Capitol for one year.

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The CAC aims to bridge the gender, geographic, and racial gaps in tech by building the domestic pipeline of future tech innovators. The program has inspired over 14,000 students across 49 states and territories to code over 4,000 apps for desktop PCs, web, tablets, mobiles or other platforms. Participant demographics for the Congressional App Challenge surpass all tech industry diversity metrics. This year, the Congressional App Challenge strives to build upon this success.

With the support of the sponsors above, the Congressional App Challenge has encouraged thousands of students to ignite their enthusiasm for computer science education. Interested in joining these leaders The Congressional App Challenge has sponsorship options for organizations of any size.

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