In 2024, Ali Abidi, a freshman at Onalaska High School in Onalaska, Wisconsin, came across the Congressional App Challenge. Intrigued and inspired, he saw this as an opportunity to combine his passion for STEM with a desire to create positive change in his community. Recognizing that despite major medical advancements in the United States, not everyone has equal access to care — transportation, insurance status, cost, and language barriers prevent many families from receiving timely healthcare, Ali sought a solution through innovation and technology.

Driven by determination and compassion, he developed ApolloHealth, a free mobile application that connects uninsured and underinsured individuals with free and low-cost clinics nationwide. The platform helps bridge the access gap and gives people access to the primary care they need.

However, Ali realized that technology alone cannot fix health inequity, because underlying social conditions create unequal health outcomes — factors like income, education, housing, and community support determine who stays healthy and who falls behind. To address these deeper systemic barriers, he founded SEHAT (Securing Equitable Healthcare Access Together) — a youth-led nonprofit based in Onalaska, WI. SEHAT is named after a Urdu language word which means “health”. SEHAT is dedicated to advancing health equity through education, resource awareness, community partnerships, and student-driven advocacy.