In late May, The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) recognized 10 Newton Country Day Upper School students with NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Awards.
Each year, girls in grades 9-12 are eligible to receive recognition for their demonstrated interest and achievements in computing, proven leadership ability, academic performance, and plans for post-secondary education.
I. de Luis ’21 was named a 2020 Massachusetts Affiliate winner. She also received the Massachusetts Affiliate award in 2019, and in 2018, she earned a Massachusetts Affiliate Honorable Mention. A strong programmer, de Luis created an application with E. Lesher ’21 to help people with Alzheimer’s disease remember their family members, which won first place in the Massachusetts State Science Fair. She hopes to apply her coding knowledge to plane-flying and to study Aerospace Engineering or Computer Science in college.
M. de Luis ’21 is also a 2020 Massachusetts Affiliate winner and received the same distinction in 2019. Along with a friend, de Luis built and programmed a machine that would help elderly people take their medicine. She hopes to continue to strengthen her programming skills, and to learn more programming languages. She is interested in both computer science and robotics and wants to study Marine Biology and Engineering in college.
I. Grejada ’22 earned a 2020 National Certificate of Distinction. During the school year, she studied both Python and Java. Grejada values her many years of experience programming in computer science classes, recognizing that these skills will be valuable in any future career.
M. Haddad ’22 also received a 2020 National Certificate of Distinction. Haddad loves computer science and working with technology.
E. Jaynes ’22 received a 2020 Massachusetts Affiliate Honorable Mention. Jaynes loves computer science and hopes to help people around the world using technology.
E. Lesher ’21 earned a 2020 National Certificate of Distinction. Lesher teamed up with a friend to compete in the Technovation App Challenge with their app “Infinite Stars.” The app aims to help people with memory loss improve their memory, therefore enhancing the quality of life of the patient and the people around them. She also coaches a robotics summer team called the Natick Novas; teaching middle school students to write code for satellites aboard the International Space Station as a part of the Zero Robotics competition run by MIT and NASA. She also is a mentor for the Gains in the Education of Math and Science (GEMS) program at the Natick Army Labs. There, Lesher leads and assists labs and other educational activities for middle schoolers interested in STEM.
E. Lesher ’22 received a 2020 Massachusetts Affiliate award. In 2019, Lesher earned a 2019 Massachusetts Affiliate award and National award. Previously, she placed first in the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair for coding an app using Swift. She also participated in the Technovation Challenge and the Congressional App Challenge, as well as working for the program Zero Robotics, teaching students about robotics and coding in C. Lesher hopes to pursue a career in biomedical engineering and improve the lives of others using technology.
M. Musto ’22 was awarded a 2020 National Certificate of Distinction. Musto previously built a pi-top laptop and learned how to circuit the inside of a computer. She is interested in computer science and engineering in the future.
G. Rosovsky ’21 earned a 2020 National Certificate of Distinction. She plans to further her computer science knowledge by taking AP Computer Science A next year and continuing to study computer science in college.
A. Woolbert ’21 is a Massachusetts Affiliate Winner for 2020 and 2019. In 2018, NCWIT honored her with a National Certificate of Distinction. Woolbert programmed a realistic traffic simulation to observe the impact of cellphone use on traffic flow. Last summer, Woolbert completed a web programming class at the Harvard Summer School Pre-College program. In tenth grade, she took AP Computer Science A through One Schoolhouse and enjoyed collaborating on coding projects with girls from around the country. Woolbert is excited to pursue computer science in college and beyond.
Computer Science I is a graduation requirement at Newton Country Day. Most students fulfill this requirement in Grade 9, allowing them to continue their study of computer science with electives. Learn more about NCWIT and view all recipients.