From hackathons to competitions, opportunities for students abound to use technology to solve everyday problems. When put to the test, many students not only boost their resumes, but create apps or other solutions to pressing problems.
Medha, who at age 16 developed an app called “Safe Travel,” thought nothing of a competition when she sat down to create her app. She simply felt uneasy during her 20-minute walk home after the school bus dropped her off. In winter months, she often made this walk in the dark, making it feel even less safe.
Her mother jokingly suggested she write an app. So, a problem-solver at heart, she sat down to see how she could help herself feel safer getting home. She named the app, “Safe Travel.”
Using this app, people of any age can program it to send an alert to a specified person if they do not arrive at their destination by a certain time.
A simple, yet successful, solution to help people travel feeling safer and more confident they are being watched over. Medha says her app is useful for college students, women traveling alone, joggers, and even for “kids like me walking home from the bus stop.”
She did not expect much to come of the app, however, she became the winner of Virginia’s 10th District in the Congressional App Challenge.
If you are looking to develop an app, the first step is to simply find a problem or a need people have. You can also think of how you can make like easier for people. Inventions solve problems and there is no age limit to getting started. Young and old alike can develop apps or use technology in positive ways to improve the world.
#UseTech4Good #NotAboutThemWithoutThem
