After winning at the state level, our team advanced to the regional competition for the Presidential AI Challenge. And last week, we did it. We presented Civic Compass at regionals.
It was over Zoom, which honestly came with its own kind of pressure. No physical room to read, no easy way to gauge how judges were reacting. Just us, our slides, our demo, and the work we'd put in for months.
Preparing for Regionals
Going into regionals felt different from state. The judges at this level ask harder questions: deeper technical questions, feasibility questions, ethical questions. We spent a lot of time not just polishing our presentation, but really understanding every corner of what we built and why we built it that way. We wanted to be ready for anything.
Shanmukhi, Kshetra, and I each had our own parts to own and deliver, and I think the preparation showed. We felt ready.
The Presentation
We walked the judges through the problem, the reality that millions of people interact with government documents every day and struggle to understand them. We showed them Civic Compass in action. And we talked about where we want to take the app in the future, because honestly, what we have now is just the beginning.
The Q&A was intense. The judges pushed us, and we pushed back with answers we believed in. That part actually felt good.
Now We Wait
Results come out on April 16th.
Regardless of the outcome, this experience has been one of the most meaningful things I've ever been part of. Building something that could genuinely help people, whether immigrants, refugees, or anyone who has ever felt lost in a sea of government paperwork, is what this was always about.
Fingers crossed. We'll see you on the 16th.
Regional Results
April 16th came and we didn't advance to Nationals. It wasn't the result we were hoping for, but it doesn't take away from what we built or what this journey meant. Competing at the regional level of the Presidential AI Challenge as middle schoolers is something we're genuinely proud of. Civic Compass was real, the problem it addressed was real, and that doesn't change with a result.
Grateful for everything this competition taught us.