How the Congressional App Competition Can Build the Tech Pipeline to Congress
Last week, the Capitol welcomed over 400 sixth through twelfth graders and their guardians for the annual #HouseOfCode. This energetic gathering marked the culmination of the Congressional App Competition, where students from across the nation and territories develop apps for recognition by their representatives in Congress. Similar to the Congressional Art Competition, this initiative creates an impactful touchpoint for Members of Congress to directly engage with talented youth in their districts and celebrate their creativity and technical excellence.
We were thrilled to participate in the Inspiration Fair, where we connected with the next generation of tech innovators and leaders. In talking with students, we found the wide range of student projects was not only fun but remarkable — from apps diagnosing the ailment of your pet fish and managing stress, to high school schedule navigators and interactive city scavenger hunts. However, the most striking takeaway from our conversations was these young developers' hunger for internships and hands-on experience to cement a successful future in pursuing computer science. We took the opportunity to encourage them to pursue a Congressional internship.
When young people envision technology careers, government — especially Congress — rarely comes up in a brainstorming session. Shifting this perception would create a valuable opportunity to strengthen the tech pipeline to the Legislative branch. Congress has had to navigate a seemingly endless wave of technological disruption in recent decades: social media, cloud computing, blockchain, virtual reality, 5G, and artificial intelligence are just the start of a long list. These rapid advances have left the House and Senate not only struggling to craft appropriate regulatory frameworks to support safe innovation but also having to face their own internal modernization challenges. We made our case clearly to these students: Congress needs technology-savvy staffers to better understand and legislate on these complex issues. They can make a difference by being part of the Legislative branch.
The App Competition and #HouseOfCode represent powerful initiatives for civic engagement and education among students nationwide. They should mark the beginning of ongoing relationships rather than isolated events. Congressional offices should actively maintain connections with their student app creators, encouraging them to pursue internships or volunteer opportunities in district or DC offices. This approach establishes a vital pipeline for developing the next generation of the Congressional workforce — one that brings much-needed technological literacy to the halls of government.
