MSU’s Bagley College honors high school students, teacher as NCWIT winners
March 2, 2016
Mississippi’s NCWIT Educator Award winner, Michelle Robinson (right), pictured with Rian Walker, MSU software engineering junior and former Aspirations in Computing Mississippi affiliate winner and national runner-up
Starkville, Miss. – As part of an effort to encourage more young women to pursue careers in technology, the Bagley College of Engineering joins the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) to recognize eleven high school women for their accomplishments and aspirations in computing and technology.
The young women are winners of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing, which recognizes high school women for their computing-related achievements and interests. Along with a set of trophies, Mississippi’s regional winners are awarded a $500 scholarship to be used at Mississippi State University in the area of computer engineering, computer science or software engineering.
“With technology jobs projected to grow faster than all other job sectors in the next decade, it’s imperative that we nurture the computing aspirations of women, who will make up half the professional workforce,” said Lucy Sanders, CEO and Co-founder of NCWIT. “This award allows us to recognize and encourage talent that might otherwise be overlooked.”
Mississippi’s eleven honorees hailed from seven different schools and included a national award runner-up. In addition to the young winners, a Mississippi teacher was also named as a recipient of the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award.
Madison Central High School instructor Michelle Robinson added the award to an array of personal honors, including four-time Star Teacher, Metro Area Teacher of the Year Award and Mississippi’s Fred Brown Outstanding High School Science Teacher Award.
Student winners, pictured from L-R: Wade, Shelby, McNeel, Banerjee, Runion, and Bostick (not pictured: Baker, Clark, Jones, Lanum, and Lee)
All awardees were honored on Saturday, February 27, at a luncheon hosted by Bagley College, featuring guest speaker Ginger Ricchetti. Ricchetti is an MSU alumna and has over 32 years of experience in the information technology industry, including a current position as senior vice president of IT AD Director Mortgage Systems at Regions Bank.
In line with the White House’s National Strategic Computing Initiative, MSU is invested in increasing computing education across the state.
“I’ve seen the positive impact that being a part of the Aspirations community has on young women, including grant, scholarship, and internship opportunities,” said Sarah Lee, the director of undergraduate studies for Bagley’s CSE department. “The community that they become a part of encourages their persistence in the computing pipeline, and we’re honored to recognize these young women through this program. “
Mississippi’s 2016 student winners are (by hometown):
BRANDON – Olivia Lanum, a homeschooled senior
COLUMBUS – Heather Bostick, a senior at New Hope High School, and Mary Lee, a junior at Mississippi School for Math and Science
MADISON – Rimika Banerjee, a sophomore at Madison Central High School, and national award runner-up Caroline Runion, a senior at Madison Central High School
OCEAN SPRINGS – Haley Baker, a junior at Ocean Springs High School, and Abby Clark, a sophomore at Ocean Springs High School
PHEBA – KarLee McNeel, a sophomore at Starkville Academy
RIDGELAND – Anna Shelby, a senior at Ridgeland High School, and Kanisha Wade, also a senior at Ridgeland High School
TUNICA – Keara Jones, a senior at Mississippi School of the Arts
NCWIT’s work leverages programs form organizations across the country, and connects efforts to increase women’s participation in information technology along the entire pipeline, from K-12 and higher education through industry and academic careers.
For more information on NCWIT, visit www.ncwit.org.
Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu.
By: Amanda Meeler