Congratulations to the winning team: EmpowerU. Well done, Nandana and Gouri!
Team EmpowerU, made up of students Nandana and Gwas, was sponsored by their teacher, James Hausman, and included CGI mentors Asutosh Behera, Sydnee Charles, and Rene DeMuyt, as well as University of Pittsburgh Mentors Zeana El-Jajomar, Pujal Gandhi, and Courtney Sheridan. Nandana and Gouri created an app, Tabu, Toward a Better U, to make a tangible difference in the lives of those struggling with addiction. Witnessing the profound impact addiction has on individuals and their families led them to create a solution that offers personalized, accessible, and practical support—believing that everyone deserves a chance at recovery and a healthier life. They chose to focus on recovery because of the complexity and challenges that come with overcoming addiction. Traditional methods can often feel isolating and inadequate. By leveraging technology, they aim to fill these gaps, providing a user-friendly mobile application that fosters a sense of community and offers essential tools for the individual undergoing rehabilitation. The mission is to empower users on their journey to recovery, improving their overall well-being and helping them reclaim control over their lives.
The judges were impressed with the team's ability to take a big topic that many people are impacted by and develop a solid solution informed by research from those with addiction. They also loved the video skills the team included and the enthusiasm they shared in the technical and functional development.
About the Challenge
CGI IT Girl Challenge is a mobile app challenge for high school girls. Small teams partner with CGI mentors to develop a smartphone app utilizing a mobile app-building platform. Each team presents its mobile app to a panel of judges. The most innovative, applicable, and creative mobile app design team receives college scholarship funds.
The challenge originated at CGI’s Innovation Center in Pittsburgh. Thanks to CGI’s Dream Connectors program, it has become an annual event in Pittsburgh and expanded across the U.S.
The CGI IT Girl Challenge is one of our mentorship programs of STEM@CGI, a nationwide K-12 program that aims to train and mentor young people for STEM careers. It strives to provide experiences that inspire students with the drive to learn for a bright future in the digital workforce. STEM@CGI focuses on students in underrepresented demographics in STEM fields, including women, minorities and the economically disadvantaged.
