Ellington Sophomore Honored In Lt. Governor's Computer Challenge

ELLINGTON, CT — From among 430 submissions in the second annual computer challenge by Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, 13 entries received recognition, including one from Ellington.

The 13 teams, from schools across the state and three different age groups, were recognized at a virtual celebration with Bysiewicz, Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Bongi Magubane, acting Department of Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker and Office of Higher Education Executive Director Tim Larson.

Rik Roy, a sophomore at Ellington High School, was recognized for his app, Open Up.

"Open Up is an app which aims to support women who are suffering from domestic violence," Roy said. "Through the app, users can sign up for support group meetings or even chat with a therapist. This creates a safe environment for people to talk about their emotions. I was inspired to make this app after talking to my aunt, who's a social worker. She was telling me that there isn't a great platform for women to talk to each other about abuse and domestic violence. I took that idea and decided to transform it into an app.

"Open Up's target audience is mainly women, because most of the time, they are the victims in an abusive relationship. However, men can also be victimized in a relationship, and so they are also free to use the app. Although domestic violence happens in all parts of the world, women in developing regions are less likely to receive the support they need. And due to the lack of support, these women end up bottling their emotions, which affects their mental health. The purpose of Open Up is to create a safe space for these victims. The title and logo encourage women to "open up" about their issues, and the warm and neutral colors are meant to provide a comforting environment. If women who have fallen victim to abuse utilize Open Up, they can overcome their emotional trauma and lead happier and healthier lives."

"Careers in coding and computing are the good-paying jobs of the future, yet these fields are too often lacking in representation of women and people of color," Bysiewicz said in a written statement. "The submissions recognized as part of the Lt. Governor's computing challenge show that when young women and girls are provided opportunities and encouragement to pursue their passions in STEM learning, they can do incredible things. Connecticut's next generation is full of innovative thinkers and talented technical minds, and it is our job to give them the platform they deserve to succeed. I want to thank our state agency partners, Commissioner Magubane, Acting Commissioner Russell-Tucker, and Executive Director Larson, as well as our corporate sponsors: AT&T, Tallan, Girl Scouts of America, Infosys, Google, and Microsoft for all their support championing the coding challenge. I am proud to organize this event as part of the Governor's Council on Women and Girls and I look forward to championing its continued success."

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