Three Edina High School students are winners of the Minnesota Aspirations in Computing award. The award honors young women in grades nine through 12 for their computing-related achievements and interests in technology.
Three Edina High School students are winners of the Minnesota Aspirations in Computing award. The award honors young women in grades nine through 12 for their computing-related achievements and interests in technology.
Russell Fraenkel is the director of IT career pathways and partnerships with Advance IT Minnesota, an organization that was created within the Minnesota Colleges and University system to promote interest in the study of technology. Advance IT Minnesota is the state sponsor, along with local businesses, for the Aspirations in Computing awards.
“The National Center for Women and Information Technology initiated the national awards program 10 years ago,” Frankel says. “Five years ago we joined as a state affiliate, allowing us to simultaneously promote the national awards, while offering a state awards program. The center and its many partners believed (and still believe) that one of the surest ways to reduce the IT talent gap in Minnesota is to support more women to join the IT workforce ranks.”
The 2017 Edina High School winners are Aarathi Garimella, Maylat Kassa and Vanessa Wang. Aarathi Garimella is a 17-year-old senior and a member of the Math Team, Debate Team, and FIRST Robotics Team. Aarathi is also the president of the Interact Club. She’s always been interested in math and science and she wants to encourage and mentor younger girls. In middle school she started a chapter of the Girls Who Code Club, an enrichment program for girls interested in learning how to write computer code. She thinks that younger girls need to be given a chance to develop the confidence to try and to fail and try again.
“Boys aren’t worried that they might not get it right the first time,” Garimella says. “They expect that they’ll figure it out. For girls there’s a confidence issue that keeps them from trying…because they are afraid to fail.”
Garimella plans to study math in college. She says her parents always made her feel confident about her ability to do whatever interested her. Winning this award confirms that confidence. Maylat Kassa graduated from EHS and plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania this fall, where she will be pre-med and major in biomedical engineering. Kassa excelled in AP computer science at EHS. She hopes to become a radiologist.
“Through networking at the award ceremony I felt a greater connection to women who share my passion for technology and engineering,” Kassa says, “a bond which drives me to represent women in the tech industry and work toward diminishing the gender disparity that exists there. As a female, the award encouraged me to pursue what I already love.”
Graduate Vanessa Wang discovered her love of computer science when she joined her high school’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Team. After completing AP computer science, Wang attended a Summer Computing Academy camp for female students. She learned how professors at the University of Minnesota use computers in their research. Wang says that winning this award has made her see that she can be successful in what is still a male-dominated environment.
“Winning the award told me that I am on the right path. Winning also gives me confidence to continue helping other girls seeking to develop their interest in computing. Like my AP computer science teacher, I strive to be a role model. Through the award, I feel more confident that I have the skills to encourage other girls to pursue a STEM career despite gender stereotypes.”
