Brooklyn Student Launches App To Help Middle Schoolers Succeed
NEW YORK, June 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Middle school students and their parents worried about juggling multiple teachers, assignments, and deadlines in September can relax and enjoy their summer vacation. Carlos Mayer, a 17-year-old Brooklyn high school student, has developed FRWD – a fully integrated app that helps tweens get organized and successfully meet their academic demands.
Experts cite organization as one of the cornerstones to middle school success. "Middle school differs from elementary school in many ways," according to Psychology Today. "One of the most important, but underestimated, is the increased pressure it puts on kids' organizational abilities." FRWD provides a platform of organization which enables students to see, at a glance, their full schedule, preview assignments, receive class notifications, homework, test announcements and more.
Mayers explained that the inspiration for FRWD stemmed from his own difficulty balancing the demands of middle school. "I know what it's liked to feel overwhelmed with keeping track of everything you are supposed to do, and I'm pretty sure that I wasn't the only student who felt that way." Solution-oriented by nature, Mayers said that he started working on FRWD as an eighth grader but soon realized that to bring it to fruition, he needed to expand his skill set. He attended technology camps in cities across the country, participated in Stanford technology tutorials online, and sought out business and tech mentors who could teach him various elements of design, creative and marketing, as well as how to put together a team to assist him with the final stages of development.
Anxious for feedback, Mayers showcased his app in technology and business contests. In 2016, he won the World of Money Youth Business Competition. He was also among the winners of the 2017 United States Congressional App Challenge. "Carlos Mayer is a talented young innovator with the foresight to identify and tackle the academic challenges that young people confront," said U. S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). "His ingenuity in developing this magnificent app inspires confidence that America will continue to lead the innovation and technology economy in the 21st century." Added Sabrina Lamb, CEO, World of Money, a leading provider of immersive financial education for youth, ages 7-18: "We are proud that Carlos has harnessed the power of technology to provide his peers an accessible platform to organize their academic needs."
With FRWD set to launch this fall, World of Money's Lamb said that FRWD would be highly recommended to children and parents enrolled in their programs. Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy (BELA) and the Battalion Christian Academy School also announced that they would make the app available to their students.
Mayers will head to Hampton University later this month where he will take part in a Computing Pre-College Program sponsored by Google. In the fall, he will enroll in the university, with plans to major in computer science. Mayers may still be a student, however, when talking about FRWD, he already sounds like a seasoned technology executive. "I believe that all students should hold the key to success in their hands," he said. "FRWD helps them to reinvent their academic lifestyle by leveraging tools that will enable them to reach their fullest potential."
For more information about FRWD, visit www.movefrwd.com.
SOURCE FRWD
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