who we are
We are a Bay Area based organization that teaches school kids the art of app development in a fun and exciting way! In today's day and age, we live in a world surrounded by apps. We interact with the world and people around us through apps using our smartphones, and these apps have made our lives so much easier. Many kids (us included) often dream of seeing their work utilized by many others. We believe that kids will be able to bring their natural creativity to the learning table and by combining this creativity with app development tools like MIT's App Inventor, they can create apps quickly. Creativity in engineering and computer programming is an important step in developing our brain and will greatly help prepare kids for careers in these fields.
Ashvin Maheshwar founded Appkidventor (former name, No App Maker Left Behind) in June 2018. He got the idea while he was working on an app in early 2018 to help people with hearing disabilities experience music through other sensory mediums like vision. He discovered that tools such as MIT's App Inventor can make it very easy to build simple and useful apps and wanted to share that experience with other kids. Ashvin created an initial curriculum which was launched as a week long summer program at the Silicon Valley Boys and Girls Club in San Jose. Now Apoorva Kulshreshtha and Japleen Kaur are looking for other kids who share this same passion to help Appkidinventor expand to more centers locally and around the world!
TEAM
Ashvin Maheshwar : Founder
Ashvin, who is now in college, has an interest in computer science and has actively worked with several programming languages like Scratch, Python and Java. He discovered the simplicity of app development using tools such as App Inventor and realized it could be accessible to all and easy to use. Ashvin loves the idea of using creativity in science and technology and wants to make the experience of building apps fun and exciting. He also has a passion for performing arts like theater, piano and dance, and he has a second degree black belt in Taekwondo. In the future, he wants to continue to blend technology and creativity in all his pursuits.
Apoorva Kulshreshtha : High School President
Apoorva is a junior at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California. She has always had a passion for computers and robotics growing up. She has worked with Machine Learning in science fairs and research programs, and has learned C++ and Python. Apoorva is also passionate about drawing, painting, and fashion designing. She volunteers and teaches MIT App Inventor to show younger students the fascinating world of app development and programming. In the future, Apoorva hopes to continue teaching and help students find their path in what they're interested in.
Japleen Kaur : College President and Co-Founder
Japleen is a freshman at Purdue University, Indiana. She is very interested in technology and engineering and has created several programs with languages such as HTML, CSS, Python, and Java. When she realized how simple it is to make apps using App Inventor, her interest in app development grew further. Japleen is passionate about Taekwondo and has a third-degree black belt. She enjoys volunteering and is active in the community. Japleen wants to continue teaching apps and website development and make technology accessible to everyone.
Rakesh Mehta : Chapter President
Rakesh is a senior in Milpitas High School, Milpitas, California. He is very interested in Astronomy (not Astrology) and Computer Science. He has worked a lot with python and has basic experiences with HTML, C++, Java and JavaScript. When he first used MIT app inventor, he found it very easy to build apps and wanted other people to learn this skill. While trying to start a program, he found out this program that he could be a part of to do this. He also likes to play basketball. In future, he hopes to continue building apps incorporating astronomy and sharing his knowledge with other people.
Nikhil Kichili : Chapter President
Nikhil is a senior in Milpitas High School, Milpitas, California. He is passionate about creating video games, playing music and helping neuro diverse kids. He is experienced in Advanced Scratch, and Beginner Level Python and C++. While exploring building games, he found MIT App Inventor, a more advanced version of Scratch. Considering its combination of easy to use and advanced features, he wants to use this platform to teach app building to normal kids as well as neuro diverse kids. He loves to play flag football and basketball. He continues to explore how music therapy – both vocal and instrumental – can help neuro diverse kids.
Arnav Bagad : Chapter President
Arnav is a senior in Vandegrift High School, Austin, Texas. He is interested in computer science and mathematics and knows Java, Python, and R. He has worked on machine learning research projects and data science research projects. When he first used MIT all inventor, he found it as a great tool to learn coding as it has many complicated concepts that can be easily learned through it. He wants to use this program to help students learn and gain interest in app development and coding as they are useful skills. Arnav wants to continue teaching students basic concepts in order to show them the joys of coding.
Kavin Saravanan : Chapter President
Kavin is a senior in Adrian Wilcox High School, Santa Clara. He has lots of experience with coding and has taken programming courses for Java and Python. Kavin was first introduced to MIT App Inventor in middle school, and he has been enjoying the experience of offering app development classes at local libraries and nearby elementary schools. He has done multiple machine learning projects over the past few years including an AI research project at ASDRP. He is also the founder and president of the AI club at Wilcox High School. During his free time, Kavin enjoys playing tennis and video games as well as going on hikes. Kavin is excited to continue to use the platform to teach children the basics of block coding and app development.
Vaishali Jha : Chapter President
Vaishali is a junior at Evergreen Valley High School. She has a passion for coding and building robots. Vaishali likes to play the piano and guitar in her free time, listen to music, and participate in multiple clubs and organizations. She enjoys volunteering in numerous activities and is very active in her community. In the future, she hopes to continue teaching students how to build developed and resourceful apps.