Congratulations to senior Gwynne Sahyun, sophomore Morgan Hartwell, and senior Morgan Stillwagon on their recent recognitions from the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) through the Aspirations in Computing Awards Program. Sahyun was named a 2020 NCWIT-WI Affiliate Winner of the NCWIT Awards for Aspirations in Computing, Hartwell was named a 2020 NCWIT-WI Affiliate Honorable Mention awardee, and Stillwagon was named a 2020 NCWIT-WI Affiliate Rising Star.

As stated on the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award web site, “Computing is a field created by innovative thinkers whose products and systems have become critical to our daily lives. Ideally, these technologies should be developed by a population as diverse as its users. Yet, this is not currently the case. As a society, we lose out on potential innovations when we do not have a diverse workforce fully participating in technology creation. The Aspirations in Computing program elements turn barriers into possibilities by offering exclusive awards, scholarships, internships, and community—building women’s leadership, technical, and entrepreneurial skills.”

This is the third year in a row that Sahyun has been recognized by NCWIT. Next year, she plans to attend a four-year college, likely MSOE, to study electrical engineering. Hartwell plans to eventually study engineering, and Stillwagon plans to pursue a career in firefighting or law enforcement. All three young women currently hold leadership positions on Ferradermis, Whitewater High School’s FIRST Robotics Team.

The young women will be recognized at an awards ceremony at MSOE on Sunday, May 3.