Our Bureau
Briarcliff Manor, NY
Bianca Jain, a ninth-grade student of Briarcliff High School, has emerged as the winner of the Congressional App Challenge for New York’s 17th Congressional District after creating an app for cancer awareness. Bianca created this app when she discovered someone that she knew had cancer.
“People said it is probably genetic, but I wanted to learn more about it and I realized that only a small percentage of people get cancer because of their genes, and that it is mostly because of a lifestyle,” she said. “I wanted to create an app that will help people have more awareness so that maybe they could prevent it.”
“Bianca shared her research with my husband and I, and then we came across the congressional challenge to create an app,” said Bianca’s mother, Anju. “That is how she decided to create an app that promotes awareness about different causes of cancer. Bianca reviewed the app with her computer science teacher, Chris Lo.”
“She wanted to disprove the norm that cancer is influenced by genetics, but rather is much more influenced by lifestyle,” Jain said. “Users can assess how high their risk could be. Bianca even had some teachers test the app and provide feedback.”
“It’s a win-win in the sense that she was learning more about preventing cancer, but also at the same time, using that knowledge to create social awareness,” said her father, Ashu. “Getting rewarded for it is the cherry on top.”
“The teachers at Briarcliff are very supportive and are good mentors,” Jain added. “Mr. Lo has been especially helpful to her. This is a close-knit community so I am very appreciative of the supportive environment at the school.”
