Press Releases

WORTHINGTON, OH — Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12) today announced the winners of the 2019 Congressional App Challenge. The team of Worthington and New Albany-area students, consisting of Kristina Ma, Stephen Ma, and Arya Narayan, developed a game app called SociEmoti aimed at helping children living with Autism better understand and express appropriate social and emotional responses.

The Congressional App Challenge is an annual competition showcasing the value of computer science and STEM education by encouraging middle and high school-age students to learn how to code through the creation of their own apps.

"This team of remarkable students is applying technical expertise to address a real-world challenge," said Congressman Balderson, who serves on the Science, Space and Technology Committee in the House of Representatives. "These students embody the innovative spirit that has made America the world leader in the development of new technologies. They recognized a need, assembled a team, and put in the hard work to develop a solution."

After attending the birthday party of a family friend living with Autism, siblings Stephen and Kristina Ma joined their friend Arya Narayan, from Stephen's Research and Robotics team, to begin the process of creating their award-winning app.

SociEmoti is a game app for teaching social, emotional and communication skills to children living with Autism. Interactive, animated game scenes allow players to choose from multiple options for their character's decision to everyday life scenarios and to learn about possible outcomes.

“I want to thank everyone who helped us win this award, because without them, we wouldn’t have won. I hope that this app will change children with Autisms’ lives," said Kristina Ma, a McCord Middle School student. 

“I am honored to win this award and I’m excited to continue working on our app to hopefully change millions of lives," said Stephen Ma, a Columbus Academy student. 

“I am ecstatic to receive an award of such high caliber. It has been and will continue to be a wonderful experience to work on our game which will benefit the lives of many children with Autism around the world," said Arya Narayan, a Columbus Academy student. 

Entries from more than 60 students across Ohio's 12th Congressional District were assessed by a panel of local experts on several criteria, including the demonstrated knowledge of coding and programming skills, as well as the quality and implementation of their ideas.

The team will be invited to attend the #HouseofCode Capitol Hill Reception in Washington D.C., and their winning app will be eligible for exhibiting in the U.S. Capitol Building and featured on the House of Representatives’ website.