San Ramon Student Wins Congressional App Challenge

SAN RAMON, CA— A San Ramon student was named winner of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge for California’s 10th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier announced Friday.

Sania Bidurukontama, a junior at Dougherty Valley High School, won the contest with her CogniPro app, which she invented as a way to reduce misdiagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder —ADHD— and help mental health professionals properly diagnose it. The app includes a 2D platform game and embedded eye tracking to monitor levels of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention, the most common symptoms of ADHD.

"It’s such a joy to see students’ creativity and talent on display each year during our Congressional App Challenge," said DeSaulnier, who hosted a reception Friday to announce the winners. "As a proud advocate in Congress for improving youth mental health, I am proud to see young people like Sania working on ways to better identify and address the challenges faced by her peers. Congratulations, Sania!"

Second place was a four-way tie with Advita Goyal of Dougherty Valley High School, Aryan Agrawal of Dougherty Valley High School, Prisha Marpu of Dougherty Valley High School and a team comprised of Rohan Vij, Ayush Garg, Mohit Varikuti and Jimin Lim of Dublin High School —all recognized for their apps SkinScan, WellTeen, Med Track and Politica AI, respectively.

Advita's SkinScan helps identify and monitor skin conditions; Aryan's WellTeen helps manage stress and promote mental well-being; Prisha's Med Track helps users track their daily medications; the Dublin High team's Politica AI helps users identify political biases and misinformation while reading the news.

Third place was awarded to Jacob Trentini of Monte Vista High School for his app BreatheFree, which monitors air quality and pollen levels.

This year's winners were chosen by a panel of judges from the STEM and education fields, all of whom live or work in California’s 10th Congressional District.

The CAC is a public initiative to encourage young people to learn how to code to inspire creativity and encourage interest in STEM education. In the eight years of the CAC, the program has yielded 46,928 applicants across all 50 states.