Beating out thousands of other female applicants, senior Nancy Le won the National Center for Women and Information Technology: Aspirations in Computing Award for the Western Missouri and Kansas Division. Applications are accepted from Sept. 15 – Nov. 2 each year. Award recipients are notified in mid December, and award events take place around the country January through May.

“They are just recognizing she aspires to be greatly involved in technology,” said Computer Applications teacher Lesley Martin. “That’s what the award is. She is a winner.”

Le also works outside of school to inspire others to get more involved with technology.

“She volunteers her time teaching the elderly in her community of her ethnicity how to use the computer,” said Martin. “She is also a Cerner Scholar.”

There is a large process to go through to receive this particular award, including teacher recommendations.

“I had to write three short essays, and then based on my essays I was chosen for the award. Last year I was the runner up,” said Le.

The awards ceremony will be held on Feb. 6, and she will receive two engraved awards: one for her and one for her Staley’s trophy case. She will also receive opportunities for scholarships, internships, research experiences and other educational and employment opportunities provided by NCWIT member organizations.

“We are trying to inspire more women to be in the field,” said Le. Not many women are engineers, so there are awards and opportunities for women seeking to thrive in this field offered by NCWIT.