A BASIS Peoria student, Suhana Chand, is the top winner of U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.
Suhana won this year’s challenge for her app called ArtiVision, which is a wearable assistive device aimed at helping visually impaired individuals by integrating facial and emotional recognition and text-to-speech functionality.
“I am so pleased to congratulate Suhana Chand for winning this year’s Congressional App Challenge for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District,” said Lesko. “ArtiVision is a commonsense app that is designed to help people of all ages with their challenges from visual impairments. It is an honor to represent so many bright students, and it is wonderful to see them using their talents and creativity through these apps to help others!”
“My goal wasn’t just to create something for the sake of it. I wanted to make it affordable and easy to use, so people wouldn’t have to bounce between different apps or spend money on multiple devices,” said Suhana. “ArtiVision grew out of that desire to simplify things and create something that could make a difference in the life of a visually challenged individual, and help them navigate their world a bit more independently.”
The second-place app was Safe Scan, created by Tahlia Mak, a resident of Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District and a student at McClintock High School. This app enables users to scan ingredient labels to determine whether an allergen is present.
The third-place app was Sight Beyond Seeing, created by Ana Shrivastava, a student at BASIS Peoria. This app allows users to better understand their immediate environment by providing a practical and intuitive way to navigate daily life independently.
ArtiVision was selected from several entries from middle and high school students across the district. Students were invited to submit apps written in any programming language for any platform. The winner from Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, chosen by a panel of expert judges, will be featured on CongressionalAppChallenge.us. The app will also be displayed in the U.S. Capitol, along with other winners from across the country.