Rep. Frank Mrvan announced Josue Pedraza of Morton High School is the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Indiana’s First Congressional District.
Pedraza used JavaScript to create his winning application, RoboticsMuse. The application is an educational hub with resources and interactive lessons for students to learn more about robotics and find a community of peers who are also interested in STEM.
“Congratulations to Josue from Morton High School on this remarkable achievement and thank you for your initiative to help students learn more about robotics,” Mrvan said in a press release. “Thank you to all of the parents, mentors and educators for encouraging students throughout Northwest Indiana to engage with STEM and put their creativity to the test.”
Pedraza expressed his surprise at winning.
“I didn’t get into this thinking I was going to win at all, and honestly I’m still kind of in shock about it,” Pedraza said. “But the lesson I learned in this challenge is that you should always put 110% of your effort and being into your work, and everything will work itself out.”
Anthony Salinas, School City of Hammond acting superintendent, called Pedraza’s accomplishment an example of what is possible when curiosity and perseverance come together.
“RoboticsMuse reflects not only Josue’s talent, but also his desire to inspire and uplift other students who share an interest in STEM,” Salinas said. “This achievement is a shining reminder of the remarkable potential within our schools and our community.”
Greg Karas, STEM educator at the Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana, served as a judge of the Congressional App Challenge.
“The kids who are willing to seriously tackle a task of this nature are going to be the engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders of tomorrow,” Karas said. “The professionalism and thoughtful design which went into winning submission was most impressive. That young person certainly has a bright future ahead of him, because he is not afraid to work hard to fully realize a vision.”
A video of the RoboticsMuse app can be viewed here. RoboticsMuse will be part of a display in the U.S. Capitol. The app will also be featured on the House.gov website and highlighted on the Congressional App Challenge website.
The Congressional App Challenge is an annual nationwide academic competition for middle school and high school students to create and exhibit their software applications.
