Three local students create app to make a difference
GLASGOW Ky.-D.J. Dillon and Olivia Crowe from Barren County High School, along with Zach Shearer from Metcalfe County High School have combined their talent, passion, and skills in the Barren County Skills program to create an app called Thrive After Birth to help women struggling with postpartum depression. The app was recently included in the final 100 in the national Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest.
“That’s way more than we ever thought this would go. There are not words to describe how well feel,” Crowe said.
“We didn’t really do it for the contest, but to be able to say that our app has gotten the attention, that we’re helping all these women is just really cool,” Dillon said.
“It’s crazy. It’s something that I never thought I would ever be a part of. It’s unbelievable,” Shearer added.
The app provides a personal tracker where users can take a daily survey gauging how they feel. It comes from a mother company called Herway which was created by these students. Educators are thrilled about the student’s initiative to bring awareness to this issue.
“Ultimately, I’m most proud that they’re finding a solution to a problem that’s real,” said Barren County Skills project manager Justin Browning.
While the perks include a $15,000 prize package; the students say it’s not about the money or recognition. Rather, to bring awareness to an underrepresented struggle.
“If we get to start small and one day branch out, it’s just a really good feeling to know that you’re helping people,” Dillon said.
“We need to bridge that gap in that area of the healthcare field, and this is a great start in doing that.
And it shows that rural counties have students with the talent to educate, innovate, and deploy,” Crowe said.
“You just develop something that you think will make a difference, and you’ll eventually get there,” Shearer said.
The next step is to submit a video marketing the app. From there, the top 20 national winners will have a chance to present their work in New York.
