Four AVHS Students Receive Bay Area NCWIT Awards

Press release from Pleasanton Unified School District:

May 17, 2021

Pleasanton, California – Four Amador Valley High School (AVHS) students have
received Bay Area NCWIT Awards for Aspirations in Computing (AiC).

Nitya Ayyagari, Hiya Shah, Suhani Singhal and Deanna Wood are all Bay Area Affiliate
Winners. Singhal also received a National Honorable Mention.

The award, powered by the National Center for Women & Information Technology
(NCWIT), recognizes 9th-12th grade students who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary for their computing-related achievements and interests, as part of an effort to encourage a diverse range of students to choose careers in technology.

Award recipients were selected from over 200 applicants from 13 Bay Area counties for
their outstanding aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing as
demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership
experience, tenacity in the face of barriers to access, and plans for post-secondary
education.

Each recipient will receive recognition and prizes; induction into the AiC Community
of nearly 20,000 technical individuals who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or
non-binary; access to resources, scholarships, and internship opportunities; and
more.

“Encouraging young women’s interest in technology careers is critical: our workforce
needs their creativity and unique perspectives to produce technology that is as broad and innovative as the population it serves,” said NCWIT CEO and Co-founder Lucy Sanders.

“Our young women at AVHS continue to excel in STEM classes and in their efforts to
reach out to our community,” AVHS teacher Richard Hanson said. “These
representatives are truly amazing people and a pleasure to have in class. Their
leadership and imagination in this difficult year give me hope for our future!”

This press release was produced by the Pleasanton Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.