Duval Times

U.S. Congressman John H. Rutherford has announced the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for Florida’s Fifth Congressional District. Eesh Majithia, a senior at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, received first place for his app "Notecandy." The app offers various notetaking services tailored to different learning styles.

The creation of Notecandy was influenced by Neil Fleming’s VARK model, which includes visual, auditory, reading and writing, and kinesthetic learning preferences. Eesh was introduced to this model by his health and wellness teacher. His app was selected as the winner by a panel of IT specialists from Northeast Florida.

“On behalf of Florida’s Fifth Congressional District, I am proud to host the annual Congressional App Challenge and encourage our students to pursue a future in STEM,” said Rutherford. “With his app, Eesh shows an impressive ability to combine creativity with the mechanics needed to create applications aimed at supporting others. I wish him well as he continues to exercise his talent and strive for excellence."

Notecandy will be featured on the Congressional App Challenge website and is eligible for display in the U.S. Capitol alongside other national winners.

The Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide competition encouraging student participation in computer science and coding. Students compete by creating an application or "app" for mobile, tablet, or computer devices. The 2025 challenge will open for submissions on May 1, 2025.