A group of students from Browning is gaining national recognition after developing an app aimed at supporting mental health in their community.
Brianna Juneau reports - watch the video here:
Code Girls United announced that Browning students were one of two teams selected as winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for Montana’s Congressional Districts. The app was created as part of the organization’s after-school program.
In Montana’s First District, U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke named Aiyahna Green, Kalani Sun Rhodes, and Sophia Guerrero-Gobert as winners. Their app, “Sspommo” (Spo-mo) which means “help” in the traditional Blackfeet language was designed to provide mental health resources, raise awareness, and create a supportive space for users.
The students said the idea for the app came from what they were seeing in their own community.
“It started as something small, but it turned into something that could actually help people,” said Aiyahna Green. “It made all that trial and error worth it.”
The app focuses on connecting users with resources while also creating a sense of community for those who may feel isolated.
“We all know someone who has struggled with mental health,” said Kalani Sun Rhodes. “We wanted to make it accessible for everyone.”
While the app carries a serious message, the team said the process of building it was also meaningful on a personal level.
“We had a lot of fun making it,” said Keesha Guerrero-Gobert. “Spending time on our lunch, after school. We each had a job and we just had the goal to finish the app before State.”
The Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide competition that encourages middle and high school students to develop skills in computer science by creating original applications. Winning teams are invited to showcase their apps at the U.S. Capitol during the “House of Code” event.
This year’s event will take place April 21st and 22nd in Washington, D.C. The Browning team plans to attend, thanks to support from an anonymous donor who sponsored their trip.
The students said the recognition came as a surprise.
“We didn’t expect to win at all—not at the state level or this level,” Green said. “It’s been really exciting to see this kind of recognition, we never thought we’d see this.”
Sun Rhodes added that the experience has opened new possibilities for the future.
“It’s opened a lot of doors,” she said. “Now it feels like we can actually do something with this.”
Founded in 2016, Code Girls United is a nonprofit organization that provides free after-school programming for girls in grades four through twelve across Montana. The program aims to create opportunities in technology and empower students to pursue careers in computer science.
For Guerrero-Gobert, the experience represents something bigger than just the competition.
“My favorite part was just spending time with my friends,” she said. “We can be part of something bigger.”
As the team prepares to present their app on a national stage, they hope “Sspommo” will one day make it on to the app store to make a difference for those who need support most.
