Earlier this month, Collegewise had the opportunity to share the stage with theCoderSchool for keynote speeches at the U.S. Congressional App Challenge. Leaders from the organizations celebrated the inspiring work of hundreds of young app developers from congressional districts across the nation. In its 10th year, the 2-day event brought winners of the #HouseOfCode Congressional App Challenge to the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. to showcase their apps, meet their representatives, and connect with other coders.
Celebrating the Inspiring Work of Hundreds of Young App Developers
Collegewise CEO, Anjali Bhatia, was honored to be selected to participate in this year's celebration alongside one of our key partners, theCoderSchool. theCoderSchool founder Hansel Lynn shared,
“As proud partners of the Congressional App Challenge, we are excited and honored to be a part of their winners' event at the House of Code every year. Our new partnership with Collegewise this year allowed us to bring even more value to the participants by showing them what’s possible as they prepare for their college journeys.”
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Hansel Lynn, theCoderSchool founder.
A Commitment to Helping Students Interested in STEM Thrive in Middle and High School
Like theCoderSchool and #HouseOfCode, Collegewise shares a commitment to helping students interested in STEM thrive in middle and high school, so Collegewise CEO, Anjali Bhatia, was thrilled to deliver a keynote speech and speak on a panel about careers & entrepreneurship during this prestigious event.
“This event is such a recognition of the future of this generation and what they can accomplish when they put their minds to challenging problems with solvable impactful solutions. It’s very inspiring to see the diverse range of issues coming from local communities, and it’s so powerful that our leaders recognize the importance of this. At Collegewise, our philosophy around guiding students is more than just making them sound polished in their college applications; it’s about helping them realize who they are, their leadership style, and what they want to tackle in their future. This event represents all that we believe in terms of supporting students.”
Anjali Bhatia, Collegewise CEO, delivering her keynote speech.
Having launched her first education company during high school and with a strong track record in education leadership, Anjali was the ideal candidate to inspire future leaders to pursue entrepreneurship, follow their passion, and believe in themselves. Wayne Teng, theCoderSchool Chief of Support, echoed this sentiment in his keynote speech, sharing the famous Oscar Wilde quote,
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
Wayne Teng, theCoderSchool Chief of Support, delivering his keynote speech.
Collegewise Director of Partnerships and college admissions counselor, Joe Korfmacher, who also attended the event, explained that,
“This quote speaks to the very essence of our college admissions philosophy at Collegewise. Students should not have to conform to fit the mold of what they think a particular college is looking for, they should instead explore their genuine passions and interests throughout their middle and high school years to help them discover a path for their future that will be fulfilling. There’s nothing more appealing to an admissions officer than a student who can demonstrate their commitment to an extracurricular that they really care about, whether that’s coding, STEM, or something else.”
Anjali Bhatia, Collegewise CEO, and Joe Korfmacher, Collegewise Director of Partnerships, at the U.S Capitol Building.
Empowering the Next Generation in STEM Exploration
The #HouseOfCode Congressional App Challenge is considered the most prestigious STEM competition in the country. Headed up by influential congresspeople, each representative selects a winning team from their district to attend the event at the Capitol and have the opportunity to meet leaders like Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Bhatia added,
“I was so proud to be selected to provide a keynote on behalf of Collegewise and share the stage with important change-makers like Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, thecoderschool’s Wayne Teng, and Congressman Ted Lieu, who is driving real change in this field with his bipartisan task force on Artificial Intelligence. Technology will continue to be a major part of our future and I’m glad to be among this select group of leaders dedicated to encouraging the next generation to further their exploration in this crucial area.”
Pre-registration for the 2024 Congressional App Challenge is Now Open!
- Students can pre-register for the 2024 Congressional App Challenge and start coding their apps for 2024 here. The competition will launch on May 1st and the deadline is October 24th, 2024 at 12:00 pm ET.
- If you’re an educator who would like your students to participate, you can share this letter with your representative so they can host the competition within your congressional district.
Interested in Learning More About Working With Collegewise?
For Parents/Guardians
If your student is passionate about coding, computer science, and other STEM fields, we have experienced admissions counselors who can support your student through every step of their college application journey. Simply schedule a free consultation with one of our family outreach specialists. They will take the time to get to know the unique needs of your family and connect you with a program advisor who will work with you to build a program that helps your student find their best-fit college and major.
For Counselors/Educators/Schools
If you’d like to learn more about how your school could benefit from Collegewise’s curated family webinars and events, student Application Accelerator Course, Leadership Success Skills Course, 1-1 hourly counseling packages, or our school counselor professional development, please contact Collegewise Partnerships Director and former school counselor, Joe Korfmacher, for more information.
- Schedule a meeting on Joe’s calendar
- Email Joe a question: joek@collegewise.com
- Call Joe on 908-472-0265
- Download School Prospectus
About Collegewise:
With more than twenty-five years of experience, Collegewise counselors and tutors are at the forefront of the ever-evolving admissions landscape. Our work has always centered on the student. And just like we’ve always done, we look for ways for each student to be their best self - whether in the classroom, the applications, or in the right-fit college environment. Our range of counseling, test prep, academic tutoring, and essay management, all with the support of our proprietary platform, lead to 4x higher than average admissions rates.
About theCoderSchool:
theCoderSchool helps kids around the world learn to code. From beginner to advanced, theCoderSchool teaches languages like Python and Javascript, enabling students to ignite their passion and pursue computer science and STEM fields in the future.
