For the seventh year in a row, Carrollton High School has won the Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide initiative to promote the importance of computer science. This year, students created an AI-driven application that provides self-advocacy tools for students with disabilities. The team will present the app to Congress in Washington D.C. at the annual #HouseOfCode festival during spring break.
Spearheaded by the U.S. House of Representatives and supported by leading industry companies like Omidyar Network, Amazon, Meta and Apple among others, the program aims to inspire middle and high school students to explore the field of computer science. Members of Congress are responsible for organizing the contests in their respective districts, and Rep. Drew Ferguson chose the winning app for Georgia’s Third District before completing his term earlier this month.
“Our computer science students are always looking for opportunities to innovate. This app challenge is no exception,” said CHS Principal Ian Lyle. “I am proud of their work and know they will excel in the next phase of the competition.”
In collaboration with CHS special education teacher Dr. Josh Crandell, junior Omar DeJesus, sophomore Wade Ballard and freshman Alaina Dhople created their app called Trojan Advocate to serve as a tool for students with disabilities who often struggle to advocate for themselves in higher education and employment settings.
Computer science teacher Robby Blakemore challenges his students to view technology as a means to address and overcome real-life concerns. After Dr. Crandell shared this need, the Congressional App Challenge team rose to the occasion.
“By providing a tool for self-advocacy in both university and workplace settings, this app has the potential to break down barriers and create greater independence,” Crandell explained. “The team’s work is not just innovative—it’s meaningful, and I can’t wait to see the impact it will have.”
The app uses Google’s Gemini AI engine to generate responses based on provided prompts that can help students advocate for accommodations, clarify expectations and plan out work-related tasks. Additionally, the app team created settings to make the language more accessible by providing alternate vocabulary when needed and text-to-speech options to provide reading support.
Knowing their fellow CHS students can benefit from their app made the experience even more meaningful.
Two-time winner Omar DeJesus said, “After last year’s experience at the Congressional App Challenge, I wanted to try something more advanced. Integrating AI into this year’s project has been challenging but also rewarding.”
Blakemore noted other CHS teams have created apps that are free to download. To get started, search TrojanCSApps on the App Store or Trojan CS Apps on Google Play.
