Saratoga High student develops award-winning phone application

A West Valley high schooler created an app that's getting national attention.

Saratoga High School junior Grant Hough won second place in the 18th Congressional District in the 2022 Congressional App Challenge, where he competed against middle and high school students from San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

The nationwide competition challenges middle and high school students to create an app for phones, tablets or computers. Each congressional district names winners.

Hough's app, SpeakEasy, is a personal digital writing assistant that detects potentially offensive content in real time and suggests alternative wording.

Hough said his app was meant to reduce the likelihood of unintended offenses that can lead to serious consequences using research-backed methodology and three AI engines.

“Grant's ability to combine diverse and inclusive language into an easy-to-use platform is such a testament to the character and creativity of our students,” Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District Superintendent Bill W. Sanderson

said. “I am so proud of our students' ability to find meaningful opportunities for success both inside and outside the classroom.”

SpeakEasy can be added to Google Chrome as a browser extension, which means it can be used in Gmail and GoogleDocs.

The Congressional App Challenge started in 2013. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo was the original cochair of the competition and ran its pilot program in 2014.

Palo Alto High School student Adrit Rao placed first for his app called Signer, which helps people who are deaf or hard of hearing communicate.