A congressional contest to encourage high school students to learn how to code in order to create their own applications has yielded winners. Congressman Alcee L. Hastings issued a statement announcing two winners from his district.

“I am pleased to congratulate Shanese Wright and Nehemie Augustin on being selected as the winners of the 2015 Congressional App Challenge (CAC) for Florida’s 20th Congressional district. Shanese and Nehemie submitted an entry titled, ‘Happy Help Hub,’ an online service envisioned to help kids and teens feeling anxious or in stressful situations. The app, which is designed to be used on a smart phone, tablet or computer, would advise young people where to go for answers, whether it is for help with a difficult homework assignments or problems with bullying. To view a video describing the students’ app, visit https://youtu.be/tSoYEekkDP4.

The challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM education, as well as encourage students to engage in these fields.

“This competition was created because we in Congress recognize how essential computer science and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills are. Our country faces a gap when it comes to jobs in these high-skilled fields, and only by recognizing and encouraging our nation’s young programming talent can our country overcome this shortfall. STEM education is critical and I am proud to support initiatives like the CAC, which will foster the next generation of high-skilled workers in our country,” said Hastings, who serves as Senior Member of the House Rules Committee, Ranking Democratic Member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, and Co-Chairman of the Florida Delegation.