Joseph Valle and Tyler Powell display the MOOV app.
Two students, Tyler Powell and Joseph Valle, both members of the Class of 2022, have worked to bring a new app called MOOV to Mount St. Mary's University. Nearly a year old, MOOV facilitates student gatherings, socialization and on-campus events. The app has grown quickly since it was created and is present on the University of Notre Dame’s South Bend, Indiana campus as well as the Mount’s Emmitsburg, Maryland location.
MOOV is an app specifically created to make the social scene on campuses more accessible than ever. Students at member universities can create a profile with their school email. With the user-friendly interface, they can view current and upcoming campus events, see which events their friends are at through a “map” feature, and even find deals from local businesses (Mount’s MOOV includes deals from Carriage House, Tuscany’s, Mason Dixon Mixin’, and more). Students can see who is planning to go to various events, who’s in which clubs, and even rate and comment on events. Users can “reinvent what their social calendar looks like,” explained Powell.
Both Powell and Valle note how helpful the app is for first-year students making new friends and for those who are coming out of COVID-19 restrictions and ready to dive into activities and events. They observed a disconnect between upperclassmen and current freshman and sophomore students at the Mount, the latter of whom are often unaware of Mount traditions such as the Tiki Dance or Rampage Weekend, and who might struggle to find their group.
Even for those thriving, socially, on post-COVID campus, MOOV offers unbeatable convenience. “With MOOV you can connect students with their school, clubs, and their local community…students are more encouraged to go out and try something new,” stated Valle. Club and event leaders can access a special host profile, allowing them to post information about their group and the various gatherings they hold, and receive feedback from attendees.
The app was begun last summer by Kevin Camson, a senior at Notre Dame. Powell, who was already doing contract work as an app builder, helped with MOOV and became a co-founder. The app launched at Notre Dame last August, and in the first few days over 3,000 students joined. When Powell came back to the Mount last fall, he asked Valle if he would want to help bring the app to the Mount campus and beyond.
The two have more in common than MOOV.. Both from the West Coast, they also are computer science and cybersecurity majors who have been roommates since their first year at the Mount. Now, together they function as MOOV Swiss Army knives for the Mount and the surrounding area, tackling everything from website development, to training on how to use the app, to going door-to-door asking local businesses if they’d like to participate.
Following graduation, Powell and Valle plan to rent an apartment together and transition to working full-time on MOOV, helping to standardize the app and bring it to campuses across the country. Even now, they have plans to introduce MOOV to high schools in a New York district, with special features like real-time bus routes and school lunch menus, for both students and parents. They’re confident that with a little effort, the app will speak for itself, and many other high schools and colleges have already expressed interest. “We think the connections between students and their schools and communities are something really valuable and are capable of changing students’ experiences for the better,” noted Valle.
To learn more about MOOV, visit their website and follow them on Instagram. Several other Mount students are also involved with MOOV, including Maura Herron, C'21, a sociology and criminal justice major, and Abby Zinzi, C'25, a communication major.