Burbank Students Win Congressional App Challenge

BURBANK, CA — Four local high school students were awarded as winners in the annual Congressional App Challenge, designed to foster early interest in science, technology, engineering and math.

In California's 28th Congressional District, Joshua Martinez and William Amran of John Burroughs High School won first place for their app PhoneDown. The app is aimed to challenge users to limit time spent on their phones, monitoring usage and awarding points based on how little a person uses their phone during a session.

Rohin Phukan, a student at Crescenta Valley High School, finished in second place with his simple stock analyzer, which uses a stock's history, search volume, and an investors personal goals to advise on whether or not to buy.

Rebecca Tanner of John Burroughs High School designed an app called Safe Space, which earned her 3rd place. Safe Space is a supportive social media site, where users can discuss mental health, body shaming, sexuality questions and other hard-to-talk-about topics.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) congratulated the winners and expressed excitement about where they could go next.

“Every year I am amazed by the creativity and skill of students participating in this challenge,” said Rep. Schiff. “It takes an incredible amount of time and knowledge to develop these sophisticated and useful applications. I have great confidence that next generation will pave the way forward to ensure our nation remains competitive and technologically savvy in the growing digital age. Congratulations to all the participants, and I look forward to seeing what you create next!”