Congressman Flood Announces 2024 Congressional App Challenge Winners
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA – Today, U.S. Congressman Mike Flood announced Kyle Van Sant and Leo Geck, students from Papillion La Vista High School, as the co-winners of the Congressional App Challenge for Nebraska’s First Congressional District.
Their submission, Volunteering Opportunities of Nebraska (VON), is an app designed to help students log, access, and discover volunteer opportunities with local organizations. Kyle and Leo aim to foster community engagement and encourage students to give back to their communities through VON.
“Volunteer activities help lay the foundation for connecting the next generation of Nebraskans to their communities and getting them civically engaged,” said Congressman Flood. “Kyle and Leo’s app is not only impressive but also a great example of how Nebraska has become known as the ‘Silicon Prairie.’ I want to congratulate them and thank everyone who participated in the Congressional App Challenge. I look forward to seeing future innovations from Kyle and Leo.”
“The Congressional App Challenge was an incredible opportunity for me to learn about programming and engineering while creating something that can contribute to my community,” said Kyle Van Sant, Co-Winner of the Congressional App Challenge for Nebraska’s First District.
“As an aspiring engineer seeking to make the world a better place, this experience showed me how the engineering process works and will guide me throughout college and my professional career” added Leo Geck, Co-Winner of the Congressional App Challenge for Nebraska’s First District.
One review committee member praised VON, stating, “This app expands student volunteering opportunities, simplifies tracking hours, and encourages community involvement. Kyle and Leo have done an exceptional job creating something with immediate impact. It’s inspiring to see young people applying creativity and innovation for the benefit of their peers.”
Kyle and Leo’s submission was reviewed by a committee of professionals working in the start-up and digital community from the First Congressional District.
Applications submitted through the contest are generally not immediately commercially available.