North Gwinnett High School student wins 2nd place in 2025 Congressional App Challenge

     A North Gwinnett High School student’s technical creativity earned recognition at the state level. Congressman Andrew Clyde (GA-09) announced the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for Georgia’s Ninth District on December 12 and named 11th grader Michael Wang as the second-place winner for his app, Ten8Link. Through the app, property managers can message tenants, receive maintenance requests, and automatically track issue resolution in one streamlined platform.

     This year’s competition featured six talented student submissions from across the District, each creating original software applications that reflect creativity, problem-solving, and a commitment to innovation. Clyde’s office shared the announcement with North Gwinnett High School’s principal, Nathan Ballantine, who delivered the good news to Michael.

     “I was grateful and honestly a little surprised,” Michael says. “Ten8Link started as a small project to solve a real operational problem I had seen firsthand, so having it recognized at the congressional level was meaningful. It reinforced that practical, problem-driven ideas can have real impact.”

Michael plans to continue working on Ten8Link through Georgia Tech’s Create-X program next summer.

     “My focus will be on refining the existing features, improving reliability, and learning from user feedback to better understand how the product can be used in real-world settings,” Michael shares.

Background

     First launched in 2014, the Congressional App Challenge is the official computer science competition of the U.S. House of Representatives. The competition encourages students to create and submit their own app for the opportunity to receive national recognition.

     Students may participate as individuals or in teams of up to four. Congressional App Challenge winners will have their app featured on a display in the U.S. Capitol and put on the U.S. House of Representatives’ website. Additionally, winners will receive an invitation to the #HouseOfCode celebration on Capitol Hill.