Senior Mika Stanghill received the Aspirations in Computing Award from the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) on Feb. 3 after an online application process earlier this year.

Stanghill had been made aware of the award opportunity in September from Robotics teacher David Black, who had been informing his classes about it. She finished the process of about ten pieces of varying length over the span of a week, working on the application back and forth for several hours and eventually applying in November. “I honestly didn’t think I won,” Stanghill said. “I stopped thinking about it because I thought I didn’t get it. So it was surprise this morning.”

According to Black, Stanghill has been a student of his for throughout high school, beginning with freshman year Technology Literacy. “When I noticed her technical aptitude with programming Scribbler robots and her collaborative skills in working not only with her own group, but with others around her, I knew she would be an excellent candidate for the FIRST Robotics team,” he said. Stanghill is his first student to win the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing award.
Stanghill’s profile on the NCWIT website can be found here.