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Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) announced the winner of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge: Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School student Aurora Shindo, who won with her submission of the application DO-NATION. 

DO-NATION is an app that connects El Pasoans needing food, healthcare items, or financial support to request those items and connect with other community members who want to help fulfill those requests. Aurora shared that she was inspired to create her app based on the impacts of inflation and seeing others in her community make ends meet. 

“Congratulations to Aurora Shindo from Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School. Through her winning app, DO-NATION, she has demonstrated her talent and commitment to ensure El Pasoans in need can reach out for help and receive support from their fellow community members,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “I am amazed by Aurora and all the talented coders in our community who have created innovative apps to deal with everyday problems. I also extend my sincerest gratitude to everyone who made this possible, from the judges to the educators and supportive family members.” 

The office of Congresswoman Escobar received a total of 88 submissions from across four middle and high schools within Texas’ 16^th Congressional District. 

This year’s judges were Eduardo Seyffert from Blue Origin, Brandon Silverstein from Hello Amigo, Nadia Karichev from the El Paso Community College (EPCC), and Fernando De Leon from Innovare. 

Below are the full results of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge: 

• 1^st Place: DO-NATION by Aurora Shindo, 8^th Grade, Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School 
• Best Technical Delivery: Go Run by Stephan Hatem, 11^th Grade, Eastwood High School 
• Most Educational: Bilingo by Anel Ponce, 8^th Grade, Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School 
• Best Mental Health App: Love Yourself by Natalie Ornelas, 8^th Grade, Harmony School of Innovation 

• Solve the Most Relevant Problem: Recycle Learning by Adrian Sanchez and Dillon Vanley, 6^th Grade, Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School 

Aurora Shindo, alongside other participants, will be recognized during a reception hosted by Congresswoman Escobar’s office and her app will be showcased to Congress and the broader tech community during the #HouseOfCode Festival in the spring of 2023. 

Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, the Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide competition that encourages middle and high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications. The App Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education.  

More information on the Congressional App Challenge can be found here.