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Larson Visits Glastonbury High School to Award Congressional App Challenge Winners

January 28, 2022

Glastonbury, CT – Yesterday, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) visited Glastonbury High School to present certificates of congressional recognition to Rahul Jayachandran, Niteesh Kalangi and Jude Ramanan, juniors who won the First District's 2021 Congressional App Challenge for their "Mentality" app. Larson was joined by the students' parents and teachers at the High School for the ceremony.

"I could not be prouder of Niteesh, Jude, and Rahul's accomplishment," said Larson. "They used the coding skills they learned both in class and as part of Glastonbury High School's Coding Club to develop an innovative app providing mental health tips and resources. During a pandemic causing great stress and hardship for our country, their innovation could not be timelier. I would also like to applaud their teacher and club advisor, Roman Mouradov, for challenging his students and offering opportunities for them to grow and demonstrate their skills."

"Niteesh, Jude and Rahul are young coders that have repeatedly shown that they want to push what they can do to the limit when they take on a new project. What their Mentality App also shows is that not only are they interested in learning to improve their skill but to use their knowledge to help others," said Roman Mouradov, Glastonbury High School computer science teacher.

"We see people dealing with stress every day, so when we heard about this challenge, we wanted to use it as a base to try and make a positive impact on these people," said Rahul Jayachandran, Niteesh Kalangi and Jude Ramanan.

The 2021 Congressional App Challenge accepted computer programs or apps written in any programming language and for any digital platform. The Challenge was open to middle and high school students across the 1st District. Over 7,000 students participated in the CAC, spanning 340 congressional districts and all 50 states. The "Mentality" app will be eligible for display at the U.S. Capitol and will be featured on the House website.

In 2013, Larson voted for the Academic Competition Resolution, which created the Congressional App Challenge, recognizing STEM and computer skills are a cornerstone of economic growth in the 21st century. Today, the app economy represents 2.1 million jobs across all 50 states. For more information about the Congressional App Challenge, visit www.CongressionalAppChallenge.us.

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