Competition Encourages Students to Pursue Careers in Computer Science and Inspires the Next Generation of American Innovators
February 3, 2021, Malden, MA – Today, Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (MA-5) announced that both Akul Kesarwani and Anchi Xia, two students at Lexington High School, won the 2020 Congressional App Challenge for Massachusetts’ 5th Congressional District.
Anchi Xia (left) and Akul Kesarwani (right)
The duo applied their coding skills as a team and worked together to create “ReadFluid,” a digital app designed to improve users’ reading and vocabulary skills. The app predicts the grade level difficulty of its user’s reading material to ensure that it matches their learning needs and generates helpful glossaries to help them more efficiently process the text.
“I commend Akul and Anchi for putting their technical skills to use on this impressive educational tool, and for taking the lessons they learned from their own personal experiences with learning a new language to help young readers everywhere. As our schools and classrooms rely more on remote learning during the pandemic, apps like ReadFluid take on the added significance of ensuring that our children’s education can continue without significant disruption,” said Assistant Speaker Clark. “I also want to thank every MA-5 student who took part in this competition – all of your achievements were unique and impressive, and I am moved by the enthusiasm you’ve shown to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing our country with your STEM knowledge and skills. The Congressional App Challenge is a fantastic way of encouraging today’s students to become tomorrow’s innovators.”
The Congressional App Challenge is hosted yearly by Assistant Speaker Clark’s Office in partnership with the Internet Education Foundation, and is open to all middle school and high school students in Massachusetts’ 5th Congressional District. The winning app is displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building and featured on the House of Representatives’ website. Winning students will be recognized at the House of Code reception this spring to demonstrate their app to Members of Congress and staff.