Washington, D.C.—Congressman Henry Cuellar announced the first place winner of the 2019 Congressional App Challenge. Wagner High School student Ian Fernandes won first place with his app, “CrowdCS.” Ian Fernandes’s app helps users, such as students in computer science, learn programing languages in a fun and competitive way.

“I want to congratulate Ian Fernandes and everyone who participated in the fifth annual Congressional App Challenge,” said Congressman Cuellar. “This event encourages our students to explore and engage in the STEM world in order to build a smarter and stronger America. I am committed to investing in our country’s STEM education so we can support the next generation of researchers and scientists that will use innovation to power our economy, improve our health, and protect our security.  I want to thank Wagner High School, including Principal Mary Duhart-Toppen and Dean of Academics Pricilla Alfaro, for hosting today’s event.”  

The development of talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is critical to America’s global competitiveness. Our country’s economic prosperity and national security rest on our scientific and technological innovation. In addition, people’ success in the 21^st century also relies on STEM literacy; an informed consumer and citizen requires the ability to use digital devices and STEM skills, such as evidence-based reasoning. Now more than ever, the United States needs an effective and inclusive STEM education strategy.  

In 2013, the U.S. House of Representatives established the Congressional App Challenge as a nationwide event to promote innovation and engagement in STEM education fields. Students who live in or are eligible to attend schools located in Texas’s Twenty-Eighth Congressional District were invited to create and present an original software application, or “app,” for a mobile, tablet, or computer platform. The winning app will be placed on display in the U.S. Capitol alongside other winners from the nation. Additionally, the first place winner will receive $250 Amazon Web Services credits and attend the #HouseofCode Capitol Hill Reception in Washington D.C.

To see Ian Fernandes’s Congressional App Challenge Video, click here.

In the Picture: Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) presents Ian Fernandes from Wagner High School with a certificate for winning the 2019 Congressional App Challenge in TX-28. Pictured left to right is Mr. and Mrs. Fernandes, Rep. Cuellar, Ian Fernandes, Paul Fenoglio (Computer Science Teacher) and Wagner High School Principal, Mary Toppen.

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