Hermiston High School student Yahir Conejo-Garcia is the winner of the Congressional App Challenge for Oregon’s Second District.
Conejo-Garcia was recently notified by Oregon Congressman Cliff Bentz’s office that he won the competition.
Conejo-Garcia’s web app is designed to help users diagnose their vehicle. The user starts at a section of a car and narrows the results to a specific issue. The app then instructs the user how to check the issue and further repair it. If the user requires any automotive part, the app will access the user’s location via Google Maps and show the nearest auto part stores.
“Yahir worked extremely hard on this app,” said Hermiston High School Computer Science Teacher Robert Theriault. “I remember him trying to decide how to handle all the data he needed for the app. Since we hadn’t learned a database language yet, he was able to research other methods to store all his data and landed on using JavaScript objects instead. His determination to make the app work is commendable.”
The Congressional App Challenge mission is to inspire, include, and innovate efforts around STEM, coding, and computer science education. The Hermiston School District has participated in the challenge since 2016 and several students have won.