The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing honors high school women who are active and interested in computing and technology, and encourages them to pursue their passions. This multi-tiered competition includes recognition at the national level (sponsored by Bank of America) and at the local level (sponsored by Microsoft), serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and all U.S. overseas military bases.
Each local (affiliate) award taps into the powerful network of NCWIT Alliance members: teams from academia, non-‐profit organizations, startups, and corporations come together to build a community of support for young women interested in computing.
The application deadline for the 2017 Award for Aspirations in Computing is November 7, 2016.
Eligibility:
Any U.S. high school woman in grades 9 through 12 is eligible to apply, if she also meets both of the following criteria:
• She attends a high school in the U.S. or is a U.S. citizen attending a high school in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or on a U.S. military base.
• She has a U.S. Tax Identification or Social Security Number.
Aspirations Award recipients are chosen for their outstanding aptitude and interest in computing, proven leadership ability, academic performance, and plans for post-secondary education.
Prizes:
Each Affiliate Award winner receives recognition at an award event, an engraved award for both her and her school, scholarship and internship opportunities, access to a peer network of technical young women in the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Community (sponsored by Bloomberg), and various other prizes — computing resources, gadgets, sponsor-‐branded swag items, and more.
In 2016: Each National Award winner also received $500 in cash from NCWIT. Bank of America also presented National Award winners with a laptop computer and a trip to attend the Bank of America Technology Showcase and Awards Ceremony 6, and networking opportunities with Bank of America employees.
Winners of the national or affiliate NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing will also be eligible to apply for University of Nebraska scholarships if they select a computing-related major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, or the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Application Details :
To apply, high school women must first register online. Go to: https://www.aspirations.org/user/register to begin registration for future application information.
Nebraska and SW Iowa Affiliate:
Your application will be automatically entered into the
Nebraska and SW Iowa affiliate. Affiliate winners will be announced in Spring 2017 and an Award Ceremony will be held on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. The affiliate is co‐coordinated by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Omaha, and University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Preparing Your Application:
Logistics:
o Create a user profile on NCWIT Aspirations in Computing
o Have a social security number or tax I.D.
o Have a working e-mail address that you check on a regular basis
o Provide the name and email address of your parent/guardian so that he or she is required to view and endorse your application
o Provide your school’s name, complete address, and telephone number.
o Provide the first and last name, and email address of a school official who can endorse your application. This could be a teacher, counselor, principal or other school official that knows your work and accomplishments.
Checklist and Essay Questions:
These are questions that you will see on the online application:
1. (Checklist) What year in school are you?
2. (Checklist) Which of the following computing activities/concepts have you learned, or participated in, either through school, in after-school/summer program, or on your own? For example, the 2016 Girl Scouts of Nebraska "Tap Into Your Appotential" Camp and the 2016 Young Nebraska Scientist “CyberCamp” were summer programs.
3. (Checklist) In which of the following extra-curricular (out‐of-school) computing and information technology activities have you participated?
4. (Essay 500 Words Maximum) What types of projects are you most interested in (e.g. robotics, programming, interface design, etc.)?
5. (Essay 500 Words Maximum) What type of
work have you done with computing and technology? Please also describe the computing-related accomplishment that makes you most proud.
6. (Essay 500 Words Maximum) Please describe ways in which you show leadership in computing, leadership in your school, and/or leadership in your community.
7. What is your GPA?
8. (Checklist) What are your career plans or area of interest for after high school?
For more details, check out: https://www.aspirations.org/sites/default/files/document/preparingyourappl.pdf
Contact Info:
@ University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Co-Coordinator: Leen-Kiat Soh (lksoh@cse.unl.edu)
@ University of Nebraska at Omaha: Co-Coordinator: Sandy Vlasnik (svlasnik@unomaha.edu)
@ University of Nebraska at Kearney: Co-Coordinator: Sherri Harms (harmssk@unk.edu)