A team of Dallas ISD high school students are being nationally recognized for an app they created to help their economically disadvantaged classmates and community. 

Klinik, an app that provides convenient access to basic essentials, was recently named one of six winners nationwide in the Lenovo Scholar Network National Mobile App Development Competition. The fourth annual contest by the Fortune 500 computer manufacturer and educational organization NAF, aims to spur more interest in science, technology, engineering, and math for high schoolers from underserved communities.

“The mobile app competition is especially meaningful because the students use creative thinking to develop innovative solutions through their mobile apps to address challenges they experience in their communities,” Matt Zielinski, president of Lenovo North America, said in a release.

The Emmett J. Conrad High School Academy of Engineering team was the only one from Texas selected by the panel of more than 200 judges from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Intel, Citi, and others.

The four Conrad juniors — Kenny Duong, Ethan Helfman, Janavi Chadha, and Kenny Tanaka — developed the app to provide their community with access to information on affordable health, education, and food events based on their location. While its initial focus is Dallas, students see the potential to replicate the app for other cities. 

Klinik offers a convenient map of low-cost events with detailed information about each event and a health checklist that helps users keep up with their shots, checkups, and other health needs.

Klinik and the other winning apps are not available for devices yet, but are planned to be accessible soon. All six winning teams will present their original apps and be recognized at the 2018 NAF Next event July 8-11 in Washington, D.C.

The public can vote online for the “Fan Favorite” through July 10 to choose the overall winning team who will be awarded technology from Lenovo.

“Year after year, we are constantly amazed by the hard work and innovative thinking that our Lenovo Scholar Network students invest in their app creations,” President of NAF JD Hoye said in a release. “Not only are they sharpening their STEM skills and learning how to be leaders in their classrooms, but they are also serving their communities.”