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1/30/2013
MINNESOTA NEWSPAPER ASSN

Advance IT Minnesota Announces Winners of First Annual Minnesota Aspirations for Women in Computing Award for High School Students

One Minnesota student also named national award winner, an honor given to only 35 students in the country

Minneapolis, MN (January 30, 2013) - Advance IT Minnesota, the high-tech talent incubator run by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, today announced the six winners and five runners-up of its first annual Minnesota Aspirations for Women in Computing award for high school students. Winners from across the state were selected based on their interests, accomplishments, and community involvement in computing and technology, as well as for their aspirations in computing and technology-related fields. Additionally, one Minnesota student was named a winner of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Aspirations in Computing award, an honor given to only 35 students in the nation, and another Minnesota student was selected as a runner-up for the national award. Winners and runners-up were chosen from a national applicant pool exceeding 1,800 young women.

Park Center Senior High student Sarah Aladetan was a national award winner. Among her many national and state prizes she will receive a $1,000 scholarship from MnSCU to be applied to a MnSCU school of her choice. Aladetan will be honored at the 2013 Bank of America Technology Stars of the Future Showcase in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will receive $500 and a laptop computer.

"I've never won anything of this level," Aladetan says. "Computer programming is my main passion, but I've never had anyone to compare myself to. Winning this award showed me that programming is something I really am good at. I'm very grateful, and I hope that more girls become aware of this award." Aladetan plans to major in either computer engineering or computer science in college. She hopes to one day launch a start-up that combines her passion for programming with one of her other interests: design or music.

Other state winners, including national award runner-up Dorothy O'Berry will receive a $500 MnSCU scholarship, other prizes and will be honored at an event hosted at Unisys Corporation in Eagan in April 2013:

Sarah Aladetan of Brooklyn Park; junior at Park Center
Senior High School
Tarissa Jackson of Savage; junior at Burnsville Senior High School
Kirsi Kuutti of Duluth; senior at Duluth East High School
Ananya Mishra of Maple Grove; junior at Wayzata High School
Dorothy O'Berry of St. Paul; senior at Como Park Senior High School
Herchran Singh of Rochester; senior at John Marshall High School

The following Minnesota runners-up will also receive prizes and will be honored during the April event as well:

Hanna Abikar of Columbia Heights; senior at Columbia Heights High School
Molly Andersen of Mendota Heights; senior at Trinity School at River Ridge
Alison Decker of St. Paul; senior at Johnson Senior High School
Erin Mitchell of Lakeville; junior at Lakeville North High School
Annelies Odermann of Wayzata; junior at Wayzata High School

"The award committee was thrilled with the number and quality of applications received from high school students throughout the state, especially since this is the first year Minnesota has offered the state award. We're proud that Minnesota had the highest participation rate in the country among single state first-year award programs," said Russell Fraenkel, director of collaborative programs and outreach at Advance IT Minnesota. "We believe that young women who develop strong technology skills during their high school years will perform better in their post-secondary education pursuits and bring greater value to their future employers. On behalf of our many partners, it's a pleasure to support these tech-savvy young women."

The award honors young women in grades 9-12 for their computing-related achievements and interests. The NCWIT created the award in 2007 to encourage the computing aspirations of young women, introduce them to leadership opportunities in the field and generate visibility for women's participation in computing-related pursuits.

Despite holding six in 10 American jobs, women held just 25 percent of computing occupations in 2011. And of the 1.4 million expected openings for computer specialists in 2020, the current number of American graduates can fill only 30 percent. Advance IT Minnesota launched its first Minnesota Aspirations for Women in Computing award to help bridge this gender and talent gap, and support, recognize and encourage young women in high school interested in computing and technology.

Advance IT Minnesota partnered with the following Minnesota organizations to offer the award: Black Data Processing Associates, Cognizant, Maverick Software Consulting, Minnesota High Tech Association, TECHdotMN, Leading-Edge Collaborations, Inc., Thomson Reuters, the Twin Cities Chapter of the Association of Women in Computing, Symantec, Microsoft and Unisys Corporation.

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About Advance IT Minnesota

Advance IT Minnesota engages employers, educators, technology professionals and learners to develop a more robust IT workforce in Minnesota. A Center of Excellence within the Minnesota States Colleges and Universities system, it is housed at the Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis campus. For more information, visit www.advanceitmn.org.

About National Center for Women & Information Technology

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) is a coalition of over 200 prominent corporations, academic institutions, government agencies, and non-profits working to increase women's participation in information technology (IT). To find out more, visit www.ncwit.org.

(CONTACT: Shelli Lissick Bellmont Partners 651-276-6922 shelli@bellmontpartners.com)

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	Sarah Aladetan