NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing
In the tech world, we often hear about the US tech talent shortage, the lack of diversity in tech, the lack of diverse founders and funding for diverse founders, and a lack of diverse VCs. In reality, many of the problems we face here in the US are due to not tackling the problem at its roots, K-12 computer science outreach initiatives.
Can you only imagine if we had the ecosystem in place that every high school offered computer science (only 53% do)? Can you imagine how many more “haves” there would be (lifetime earnings of a computer science major is currently $1.67M)? Can you imagine if we had pushed more students into bachelor CS programs over other STEM programs (67% of new STEM jobs are in computing, but only 11% of STEM degrees are in CS)? And, what if I told you women are ten times more likely to major in CS if they try AP Computer Science in high school? ~ all stats that you’ll find on Code.org
Those are only a few reasons we must help build awareness for programs and awards like the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC). Per the NCWIT AiC site…
The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC) honors 9th-12th grade women, genderqueer, or non-binary students for their computing-related achievements and interests, and encourages them to pursue their passions. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, tenacity in the face of barriers to access, and future plans. Since 2007, more than 20,000 students have received an Award for AiC.
The multi-tiered award structure includes Winner, Honorable Mention, and Rising Star designations at National and Regional Affiliate levels, serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, all US overseas military bases, and Canada. Regional Affiliate Award programs are hosted in 79 locations nationwide by NCWIT Alliance member organizations—a powerful, national network of universities, companies, non-profits, and government organizations working to increase the influence and meaningful participation of girls and women from every community.
They have extended the deadline to October 27th, so there’s still time to apply. Here’s the link to apply… https://www.aspirations.org/award-programs/apply-for-the-award-for-aic
And thank you to IT-oLogy for posting about this great initiative on their site and LinkedIn page.