Las Vegas college students constructed apps and video games at UNLV

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Local college students received a hands-on introduction to app and recreation growth Friday on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as a part of “Build the Challenge Las Vegas,” a nationwide occasion tied to the 2026 Congressional App Challenge.

The occasion, organized in partnership with Congress, Roblox and Nevada lawmakers, gave center and highschool college students the chance to develop concepts for apps and video games they will undergo this 12 months’s competitors. Organizers mentioned it’s one in all solely six occasions of its sort being held throughout the nation.

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Students study from specialists and one another

Joseph Alessi, director of the Congressional App Challenge, mentioned the purpose of the in-person occasion is to assist college students start constructing entries that tackle real-world issues of their communities.

“The opportunity for students to come together and to learn, not just from the experts who are here with Roblox and with UNLV and everywhere else, but also from each other is incredibly important,” Alessi mentioned. “The ideas that they work on today or come up with today will, over the next series of months, be built into something real that can aid their communities.”

Alessi mentioned the Congressional App Challenge brings collectively members of Congress annually to host a nationwide hackathon. Thousands of scholars take part yearly. This 12 months marks the primary time organizers have traveled to communities to assist college students kickstart their entries forward of the October deadline.

Nevada lawmaker highlights native expertise

Nevada State Assembly Member Duy Nguyen, who represents District 8, attended the occasion and mentioned it displays a broader alternative for Las Vegas youth.

“I’ve always been behind innovation,” Nguyen mentioned. “Innovation is what drives our economy, drives our future. And these young minds that we have right here in our own backyard are so talented. They’re problem solvers.”

Nguyen mentioned the partnership between Roblox and the Congressional App Challenge creates an entry level for college students who have already got problem-solving abilities.

“I’m glad this happened right here in our own backyard,” Nguyen mentioned. “People think that Las Vegas is a one-hit wonder when it comes to just entertainment and hospitality… but it’s also so much more than that. The people who build things behind the scenes are these young minds here.”

Parents see outcomes at end-of-day reveal

Parents have been invited again into the session on the finish of the day to see what their kids constructed throughout the occasion. Alessi mentioned the reveal is a spotlight of this system.

“They are always shocked by how much these kids can create in such a short period of time, how creative they are, how collaborative they are,” Alessi mentioned.

The deadline to submit entries to the 2026 Congressional App Challenge is Oct. 26. Middle and highschool college students can register at congressionalappchallenge.us.