HAMPTON, Va. — A local college student is using his technical skills and passion for programming to improve the lives of students and teachers.
Carlos Mayers, a rising junior at Hampton University, is putting his innovations into the palm of your hands.
"Ever since maybe like middle school, I've found programming was an amazing way to do what I love most," Mayers said. "I've been able to solve problems in a way that pushes the envelope."
In August, Mayers will launch an app he designed called "JoinMi." The app is meant for connecting college students who are looking for friends to help complete tasks such as playing basketball, studying, or even splitting a pizza.
"JoinMi is an app that lets college students connect and complete simple tasks together on campus," he said.
Mayers' innovative spirit is catching the attention of others. He was one of 100 students nationwide from Historically Black Colleges and Universities selected to attend an entrepreneurial competition called "The Pitch 2019."
There, he and four other members of his team invented an app to help teachers with grading.
"Teachers spend way too much time grading papers," he said. "'GRADE FLIP' allows teachers to upload their student worksheets, their own answer keys and GRADE FLIP takes it from there. It immediately exports the student's grade into the grade book."
That pitch won his team first place at the competition. Carlos said "stay tuned" as to when it could be published.
His JoinMi app will be available for Hampton students in August. He hopes it will be successful enough to expand to other college campuses.