CITY OF INDUSTRY – A savvy and enterprising group of Glen A. Wilson High School computer science students combined their knowledge and talent to create an AI-powered app designed to let users detect the possibility of skin cancer from their mobile phones. The app, named FOCAL, was recently recognized as a U.S. House of Representatives Congressional App Challenge winner by Linda Sánchez, California’s 38th District Representative.

The FOCAL team, led by Wilson senior Julina Liu (database administrator), juniors Ethan De la Cruz (AI developer) and Alvin Cheng (back-end developer), and sophomore Nolan Huang (front-end developer), as well as their faculty advisor, Wilson computer science teacher Courtney Bushyeager, will be recognized by Sánchez during a special ceremony at Glen A. Wilson High’s Media Center on Thursday, Jan. 30 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The winners will also fly to Washington D.C. in April to attend the 2025 #HouseOfCode gala that will bring Congressional App Challenge recipients from across the country to the Capitol to celebrate their achievements and demonstrate their apps to Congress and their peers. The winning apps will be featured on the House.gov website for the next year.

“This is an extraordinarily talented group of students who are very creative, empathetic, and motivated. I could not be more proud of their achievements,” Bushyeager said. “My biggest goal is to be here for my students. I truly get excited to come to work every day, just to see who I get to work with and what they are able to do. The FOCAL team spent many hours afterschool perfecting their app, and the hard work has certainly paid off for them.”

FOCAL allows users to upload a photo of a skin lesion for analysis. The app estimates the likelihood of the lesion being a specific condition. In a demonstration video, FOCAL predicted with 80% confidence that a lesion could be melanoma. Depending on the risk level, the app recommends either monitoring or consulting a doctor. Currently, FOCAL identifies seven types of lesions with 74% accuracy.

The success of FOCAL lies in its extensive database of thousands of skin cancer images, which the app uses to classify various lesion types. By leveraging software tools like Firebase and FlutterFlow, along with programming languages such as Dart, the team was able to process and analyze this vast dataset. De la Cruz, who has been passionate about computer science since third grade, was driven to create an app with a meaningful impact, particularly as artificial intelligence grew in prominence.

“We competed in the Congressional App Challenge last year, but we felt that our apps weren’t necessarily the most impactful,” De la Cruz said. “This year, we were thinking of creating an app that can positively benefit a lot of people. Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent issues of our time right now, we thought that would be a good issue to tackle.”

Glen A. Wilson High School offers a robust selection of seven career technical education pathways, including a comprehensive four-year computer science program. The pathway includes Computer Science Essentials (first year), Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles (second year), AP Computer Science A (third year), Cybersecurity (fourth year), and an elective in iOS mobile development. These courses are designed to equip students with the essential skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the dynamic tech industry.

“The innovative spirit and dedication of our students at Glen A. Wilson High School reflect the excellence we aim to foster across all of our schools in Hacienda La Puente Unified School District,” Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez said. “The recognition of their achievement in creating the FOCAL app underscores the importance of career technical education in our classrooms. Computer science, in particular, is essential in preparing students for the careers of tomorrow. We are incredibly proud of our students, their hard work, and the continued excellence demonstrated at Glen A. Wilson High School.”

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HLPUSD_APP: Glen A. Wilson High School computer science students recognized as a U.S. House of Representatives Congressional App Challenge winner by Linda Sánchez, California’s 38th District Representative.