MHS Students Win Awards for Aspirations in Computing

Methacton High School (MHS) students Katherina Lim and Sherry Yang have received 2013 Philadelphia Area National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Awards for Aspirations in Computing, according to a school district press release.

The NCWIT recognizes young 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.

There were 10 Philadelphia Area NCWIT winners, each receiving a tablet computer, some stylish articles of clothing, suitable for young technical women; and an engraved award, per the release.

“Methacton High School is proud to have two fine young women receive this prestigious award, MHS principal Judy Landis, said in the release. “Both Katherina and Sherry and leaders among their peers, and great example for young women who aspire to enter fields that have traditionally been populated primarily by men.”

Landis added, "Methacton is committed to supporting their drive and determination by offering them opportunitiesto explore their interests within our curriculum and through a variety of extracurricular opportunities."

The NCWIT website provides short biographies on each of the area affiliate and national award winners across the country:

Katherina Lim – 2013 Philadelphia Area Affilitate Award Winner:

“Katherina had her first programming experience with Neopets as a child, and reentered the programming world in high school through various classes. She is fascinated by language, both human and technological, and also likes art and graphic design. She plans to major in computer science.”

Sherry Yang – 2013 National Award Runner-Up, Philadelphia Area Affiliate Award Winner:

“Sherry is a passionate code monkey. She started programming in Java in 10th grade. Since then, she has branched out into various other programming languages, and her curiosity has driven her to explore various topics in the field, ranging from computer security to web programming. She has won programming competitions as well. Sherry can be found in front of her computer, watching lectures on Coursera, reading Wikipedia, or working on her latest programming projects. She hopes to major in computer science, eventually specializing in artificial intelligence, a field where she can combine her love of computer systems with her fascination with biology, psychology, and mathematics to push the limits of what computers can do.”

NCWIT is the National Center for Women & Information Technology, a coalition of over 300 prominent corporations, academic institutions, government agencies, and nonprofits working to increase women's participation in IT. NCWIT's work spans K-12 and higher education through industry and academic careers. Find out more at www.ncwit.org.