Manchester Students Receive National Computing Awards

MANCHESTER, NJ — Three Manchester Township high school students have been honored for their interest and studies in computers.

Sarah Smith and Lyndsey Vigna received the National Center for Women & Information Technology Award for Aspirations in Computing, and Hailey Sales received an Affiliate Honorable Mention, the district announced.

The awards recognize students in ninth through 12th grades for their computing-related achievements and interests. They were part of an effort to encourage a diverse range of students to choose careers in technology.

They were chosen based on their 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, the district said.

"We are proud that three of our students received this prestigious award," Manchester High School Principal Dennis Adams said. "Manchester Township High School continues to increase our computing and technology course offerings as part of our curriculum, and we are proud of our success in encouraging female students to take part in these courses."

Manchester High School recently received an AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award and has also established a WiSTEM (Women in STEM) chapter at the school.

The students who were honored "will receive recognition and prizes; induction into the AiC Community of more than 22,000 women, genderqueer, or non-binary technologists; access to resources, scholarships, and internship opportunities; and more.

National Center for Women & Information Technology Award recipients were selected from more than 3,500 applicants from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. overseas military bases, and Canada.

Each recipient will receive recognition and prizes; induction into the AiC Community of more than 22,000 women, genderqueer, or non-binary technologists; access to resources, scholarships, and internship opportunities; and more.

“Encouraging all students’ 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 Lucy Sanders, CEO and co-founder of the National Center for Women & Information Technology.