Henrico Times

Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) congratulated the winners of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge for Virginia’s First District. The winning app, PatriotPerks, was developed by Deep Run High School students Yashvanth Singamaneni, Sujash Joseph, Sidhartha Basu, and Abhijit Somala from Glen Allen. PatriotPerks connects veterans with local businesses that offer affordable prices and discounts. While the app aims to boost customer traffic for small businesses and food banks, it also strives to cultivate a sense of community support amongst veterans.

"The creativity, empathy, and dedication showcased through PatriotPerks’ mission exemplifies the spirit of innovation and compassion in Virginia’s First District," said Congressman Wittman. “Congratulations to Yashvanth, Sujash, Sidhartha, and Abhijit for their impressive work, and thank you for your efforts to support our robust veterans community.”

The Congressional App Challenge is designed to encourage students’ participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education fields. This nationwide event allows middle and high school students from across the country to compete against their peers by creating and exhibiting their software application, or "app," for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice.