National Computing Award Seeks Aspiring High School Girls
BOULDER, COLO. (September 18, 2013) – The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) is now accepting applications for the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing – a national, high-school level competition sponsored by Bank of America and open to any U.S. female with outstanding aptitude in computing and technology.
Recipients of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing are selected for their outstanding capacity and interest in computing and technology, proven leadership ability, academic performance, and plans for post-secondary education. Students can apply online at http://www.aspirations.org. The Award closes on October 31, 2013, at 11:59 PM ET.
Each National Award recipient receives:
$500 cash
a laptop computer
a trip to attend the Bank of America Technology Showcase and Awards Ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 15, 2014
an engraved award for both the student and her school
networking opportunities with Bank of America employees
“Bank of America has sponsored this Award for seven years, and every year I am more impressed with the talent,” said Global Technology & Operations Vendor Sourcing and Controls Executive Katrina Teague. “We believe that by encouraging women to develop technology careers, we can strengthen businesses and the global economy. With this Award, Bank of America is helping to create the technology innovators of the future.”
In the 2012 U.S. workforce, women held 57% of all professional occupations, but 26% of professional computing occupations were held by women. In 2012, 54% of all Advance Placement (AP) test-takers were female, but 19% of AP Computer Science test-takers were female. The Award is part of the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing talent development initiative, a program designed to increase women’s participation in computing.
“This program is aimed at closing the gender gap in the technology workforce,” said Ruthe Farmer, Director of Strategic Initiatives of NCWIT. “By recognizing young women for their technical potential at this early stage, we are providing the vital encouragement and visibility needed to revolutionize the face of technology.”
In addition to the National Award competition, NCWIT offers Affiliate Award competitions, serving 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To date, the Aspirations in Computing initiative has recognized over 2,200 young for their computing-related achievements and aspirations. Aspirations in Computing is supported nationally by AT&T, Bank of America, Bloomberg, and Microsoft, with local support from over 450 companies, academic institutions, and K-12 organizations.
About NCWIT
The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) is a non-profit community of more than 450 universities, companies, non-profits, and government organizations nationwide working to increase women’s participation in computing and technology. NCWIT helps organizations more effectively recruit, retain, and advance girls and women in K-12 through college education, and from academic to corporate and startup careers. Find out more at http://www.ncwit.org.
About Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world’s largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. We serve approximately 51 million consumer and small business relationships with approximately 5,300 retail banking offices and approximately 16,350 ATMs and award-winning online banking with 30 million active users and more than 13 million mobile users. Bank of America is among the world’s leading wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations in more than 40 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Visit the Bank of America newsroom for more Bank of America news.
# # #