2 Deep Run HS students win Seventh District Congressional App Challenge

Two Deep Run High School students are the Seventh District winners in the Congressional App Challenge, for their creation of an app called Scholance that is designed to allow clients to post freelance community service or paid projects for students.

Vihaan Dutta (who also won the district's app challenge last year) and Pranav Chinthakuntla created the app, which now will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol and shared on the U.S. House of Representatives’ website, alongside winners from congressional districts across the country.

“Each year, I am astounded by the passion and talent behind the apps we receive from Seventh District students,” said Seventh District Representative Abigail Spanberger. “The technical innovations in coding and computer science possessed by the next generation will lead our country into the future — because the security, strength, and economic competitiveness of our nation depend on leaders who can leverage these skills to tackle the complex challenges that lie ahead.

"I am impressed that this year’s winners used their skills to address a demonstrated need in our communities. Congratulations to Vihaan and Pranav for earning this recognition for their skill and creativity, and thank you to all the Seventh District students who shared their work with my team and I!”

“As students in Deep Run’s Center for Information Technology, we created Scholance for two reasons,” said Dutta and Chinthakuntla. “One, students in our area typically have difficulty finding community service work. And two, we believe students should have easy access to gain experience in the CS field. By combining these two reasons, we created Scholance to let students gain knowledge in their field while producing low-cost projects for small businesses and other consumers."