Saanvi

Atkins HS Junior Saanvi Rao was recently selected as the 5th District winner in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge. She will present a demo of her app and be recognized at the #HouseofCode event in Washington, D.C. on April 8-9, 2025. 

“Her submission wove together principles of practicality, stewardship, and ingenuity to create an effective solution to an everyday problem, and I am highly impressed in her work,” said US Congress representative Virginia Foxx in a press release. “Congratulations, Saanvi, on this wonderful accomplishment. To learn more about the Congressional App Challenge.”

Rao’s application, EcoTronics, is designed to help reduce electronic pollution, or “E-Waste,” by helping users locate nearby recycling centers and electronics repair stores so that they can either properly discard their unwanted electronics or find resources to have them fixed. 

Rao said she heard about the contest when searching for beneficial extracurricular activities as a junior for students interested in computer science in college or anything in technology. Rao has similar past experience, such as with last year’s Ready, Set, App competition, and the Atkins Cyberpatriot team. 

The project was not without its challenges, though. As with most technology, there can be hitches and issues along the way. Rao said she had struggles with incorporating the Google Maps API, as well as issues with crashes in the platform she was using. 

“The most important things I learned were grit and perseverance, as well as believing in yourself no matter how hard a task may seem,” she said. Staying up late on school nights just to finish coding a button, or dedicating hours per week to create new pages for the app, all of it was worth the effort in the end. 

Congratulations to Saanvi Rao for this achievement and milestone in her STEM future. 

Saanvi