Dell Rapids High School student Shauna Brech has received the North and South Dakota NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing. The award, sponsored by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), the East Dakota Educational Cooperative – Career Link Program, Sanford Research, and the Great Plains Girls Collaborative Project, recognizes high school women for their computing-related achievements and interests as part of an effort to encourage more young women to choose careers in technology.
Brech was one of just eight award-winners who were selected from high schools across the two-state area for their outstanding aptitude and interest in information technology and computing, solid leadership ability, good academic history, and plans for post-secondary education.
“The awards committee was impressed with Shauna’s willingness to look beyond the classroom in her attempts to develop new skills. Her ability to seek out and find broadcast technology projects really demonstrates her initiative and entrepreneurial spirit. We admire her for that and are eager to see what she does next,” said Kristy Jackson, regional NCWIT awards chairwoman.
These regional award winners were formally recognized during an event in Sioux Falls SD. Regional winners are now eligible to compete for exclusive internships and scholarships, which are designed to further support their career aspirations.
“Encouraging young women’s interest in technology careers is critical: our workforce needs their creativity and their innovation,” said Lucy Sanders, CEO and Co-founder of NCWIT.
The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) works to correct the imbalance of gender diversity in technology and computing because gender diversity positively correlates with a larger workforce, better innovation, and increased business performance. Increasing the number of women in technology and computing also has the potential to improve the design of products and services to better serve a more diverse population, and increase economic and social well-being by providing more women with stable and lucrative careers. Find out more at www.ncwit.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Kristy Jackson, Career Link Program Manager
NCWIT, regional awards coordinator (SD/ND)
East Dakota Educational Cooperative
715 East 14th St.
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
kjackson@edec.org
(605) 367-7680 x 120