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LATHAM, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko visited Shaker High School in Latham today to recognize Ayush Patel, Michael Tong, and Kush Malwatkar, members of the winning team in the 2023 Congressional App Challenge for New York’s 20^th Congressional District. During the visit, Tonko delivered congratulatory remarks and presented each student with a Congressional Certificate of Achievement and a letter of recognition for this exciting honor.

“I am continually impressed by the creativity and ingenuity put on display by our Capital Region students with their submissions for the Congressional App Challenge, and this year was no exception,” Congressman Tonko said. “With their IBUCK app, Ayush, Michael, and Kush demonstrated both their top-notch technical skills and an admirable desire to help their peers gain basic financial literacy and make savvier investment decisions. I’m proud to acknowledge the contribution of these students to our Capital Region’s rich history of technological innovation, and I’m grateful to Ayush, Michael, and Kush for their hard work. Congratulations to all the students who participated in this year’s App Challenge!”

The winning app, IBUCK, is a web application that helps users learn about common types of investments and allows people to calculate the expected profit from their investments based on the types of investments they own. The app also includes a list of common business terms with basic explanations of each term, helping users gain critical financial literacy skills. Ayush, Michael, and Kush were inspired to create IBUCK after being overwhelmed by the variety of options when they first began making their own investments. After speaking with friends and family members about their own investments and finding a similar lack of knowledge of investment basics and financial products, they set out to create IBUCK as a resource for their peers and others interested in learning more about the subject.

You can learn more about the app by visiting its webpage, ibuckhome.netlify.app, or by viewing the students’ submission video on YouTube.

This year’s NY-20 Congressional App Challenge winner was chosen by a distinguished panel of local judges, including Dr. Mohammed J. Zaki, Professor and Department Head of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Annmarie Lanesey, CEO and Founder of CanCode Communities, and Tobi Saulnier, CEO of 1^st Playable Productions.

The Congressional App Challenge was created by Congress in 2013 to encourage innovation and engagement in coding, computer science, and STEM education.  The App Challenge is open to all eligible middle and high school-aged students in New York’s 20^th Congressional District, regardless of coding experience.

To view and download photos of Congressman Tonko’s meeting with Ayush and Michael, see the Congressman’s social media posts HERE, HERE, and HERE.

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