5th District Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty recently welcomed the 2016 Congressional App Challenge winners to Capitol Hill.  The four winners from the district, Raul Calderon, Joseph Grenier, Matthew Jones, and Veronika Cordero, created an app called “Unmutable.” 

It's aimed at providing a voice to people who are unable to communicate verbally. To use the app, the user must type what they would like to say, and the word is then spoken aloud by the phone.  

Esty says she hosts the Congressional App Contest every year because it enables students across Connecticut to showcase their creativity and build skillsets that will serve them well throughout their lives. 

Approximately 100 students from over 50 Congressional Districts traveled to Washington D.C to demo their winning apps to an audience of 400 people, including 38 Members of Congress.  The 2017 Congressional App Challenge will begin on July 26th, and run until November 1st.