FRANKLIN, Wis. — Congressman Bryan Steil announced that Franklin High School student Sonakshi Giri has won first place in the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for Wisconsin’s First Congressional District, earning top honors for her innovative safety app, “RideRight.”
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Steil praised Giri for the work that went into the project, calling the App Challenge an important tool for encouraging students to pursue technology and innovation. “Congratulations to Sonakshi Giri from Franklin High School, winner of the 2025 App Challenge, for her app, RideRight. Creating an app takes time, skill, patience, and planning,” Steil said. “The App Challenge is a great way to promote STEM education and teach students how to be innovative.”
RideRight is designed to estimate a user’s blood alcohol content based on factors such as age, sex, weight, type of alcohol consumed, amount consumed, and the time that has passed since drinking. The app then tells a user whether it is safe to drive under applicable laws and, if not, advises how long they should wait before getting behind the wheel. It also includes a designated driver selector that randomly chooses a sober driver from a list of entered names.
Giri was inspired to create the app through her work with Volition Youth, a program focused on helping teenagers avoid substance use and educating them about the dangers of impaired driving, including situations involving even low levels of alcohol consumption.
The Congressional App Challenge began in 2013 to encourage students across the United States to explore computer science and STEM learning through real-world application development. Each year, students compete within their own congressional districts, with winners recognized by their representatives for innovation, coding skill, and creativity.
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