Introduction to the Congressional App Challenge
North Dallas High School senior Carol Alejandra Barragán Manchola recently won the Congressional App Challenge, a prestigious award that recognizes student innovation in app development. The challenge was a class assignment that required students to create an app and submit it for consideration.
The Assignment and Initial Reluctance
"The class assignment was everybody had to create an app that they were going to submit for the Congressional App Challenge," North Dallas High School IT Pathway teacher Christopher Barnhill said. Barragán Manchola was initially hesitant about the assignment, having had negative experiences with coding in the past. "When I was in Colombia, I had classes for coding in school," Manchola said, laughing. "I didn’t like it. I hated it with my soul!"
The Inspiration Behind MealSphere
Despite her initial reluctance, Barragán Manchola found inspiration for her app, MealSphere, in her family’s love of food and travel. MealSphere is an app that helps users find authentic restaurants, recipes, and supermarkets. "Because we travel a lot. We like to travel, and then whenever we were in Colombia, we used to go and try every type of food in different regions," Manchola said. "For example, when you try Colombian food you can also try how much heart they put into that food, or when you try Texan food there’s so much flavor, so much power they put in the food, that it’s like you get to know the person and the culture at the same time."
The Winning App
Months passed, and both student and teacher forgot Manchola had submitted her app. Then they found out she won! "Others were just doing it so they could try to win a free trip to D.C. and, like, she actually had a real good thought-out process of why she wanted to do it," Barnhill said. Manchola’s win was a surprise, but her app’s potential was clear. "Before I saw, like, these hard puzzles that are like 100 pieces, and now I see a complete meal that I can eat already," Manchola said, looking at the coding on her computer screen. "I feel like that’s a way of the universe telling me, like, there’s other ways for you to show that you can help others."
Future Plans for MealSphere
Manchola’s MealSphere app is currently a demo app, but she plans to develop it for others to use. With her win, she has gained recognition and momentum to take her app to the next level.
Conclusion
Barragán Manchola’s win is a testament to the power of innovation and perseverance. Despite initial reluctance, she found a way to create something meaningful and useful, and her app has the potential to make a positive impact on people’s lives. As she continues to develop MealSphere, she is an inspiration to others to pursue their passions and interests, even if they seem challenging at first.
FAQs
Q: What is the Congressional App Challenge?
A: The Congressional App Challenge is a prestigious award that recognizes student innovation in app development.
Q: What inspired Barragán Manchola to create MealSphere?
A: Barragán Manchola was inspired by her family’s love of food and travel to create MealSphere, an app that helps users find authentic restaurants, recipes, and supermarkets.
Q: What are Manchola’s plans for MealSphere?
A: Manchola plans to develop MealSphere into a fully functional app that others can use.
Q: What can be learned from Barragán Manchola’s experience?
A: Barragán Manchola’s experience shows that with perseverance and dedication, anyone can create something meaningful and useful, even if they face initial challenges or reluctance.
