Fatuma is a 2023 National Honorable Mention recipient and a State Winner.

She was a State Honorable Mention recipient in 2022.

In the summer of 2022 Fatuma had the opportunity to work at Securian Financial as an Engineering Analyst Intern; her responsibilities included updating and refactoring code and pair-programming to create new features using JavaScipt and React. She became involved in STEM through exposure to robotics but began programming after joining Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). She competed in two National BDPA High School Coding Competitions and was a member from eighth-grade up until her junior year of high school. Her junior year of BDPA consisted of working on developing a mobile app using Android Studio. She was the team lead for other students making their own apps. Her app was intended to promote small local businesses to combat the effect that COVID-19 had on them. She recently transitioned to creating websites to give businesses in her community an online presence. Fatuma ran a Youtube Channel in ninth and tenth grade and produced cooking videos targeted towards the East African immigrant communities. Currently, Fatuma is a high school student enrolled as a PSEO student at the University of Minnesota, and she plans on majoring in bioengineering and data science. She took part in a UMN neuroscience summer program and became interested in the applications of programming and data science in the context of human healthcare.

Laasya is a State Winner.

She was also a Rising Star in 2022.

Laasya was accepted into the University of Minnesota’s Talented Youth Mathematics Program (UMTYMP), where her interest in technology was sparked through real-world applications of math. She is currently a PSEO Student at the University of Minnesota; this opportunity has allowed her to take classes that reflect her specific interests like higher level math classes that combine math and computer science. She plans to pursue a computer science degree with a math minor. This year she has been participating in Technovation, an app building contest, where she and her team are training a machine learning model to identify diseases in crops. She also advanced to the semifinals of the actuarial math contest, Modeling the Future, where she and her team are working on a research project that investigates skin cancer rates and issues recommendations. She was selected for the NSA’s GenCyber Summer Camps and learned about cybersecurity, networking, IoT, and more. She volunteers for organizations that are focused on bridging the digital divide like Codivate, a non-profit that makes coding education accessible to everybody. She started by helping this organization as their Midwestern Logistics Director, organizing classes and designing curriculum. She also became a tutor due to extra demand. In addition, she volunteers as a blog writer at Teach Technology, an organization that is dedicated to informing seniors about technology.

Jasmitha is a National Honorable Mention recipient and a State Winner.

Her passion for computer science and technology started at a young age. This early interest was cemented when she participated in a Technovation competition in middle school and created her first app. This experience gave Jasmitha a glimpse into the limitless possibilities of technology and programming, and she was immediately intrigued. Determined to continue learning and growing in this field, Jasmitha enrolled in a high school engineering concepts class, where she quickly made a name for themselves as a quick learner and dependable student. Jasmitha’s creativity and problem-solving skills were evident in this class, especially when she broke the previous record for the maximum weight a civil engineering popsicle stick bridge could hold. She displayed knowledge of various aspects of bridge design, including shape, materials, means of support, distance spanned, terrain, function, and exposure. Building on her success in the engineering concepts class, Jasmitha decided to take her studies to the next level and enrolled in intermediate computer programming and AP Computer Science. Despite being the only girl in the computer science class, Jasmitha never let this discourage her. Instead, she embraced the challenge and worked even harder. Jasmitha plans to pursue a major in computer science and use her expertise to make a positive impact in the tech industry.

Tia is a state winner.

She was a Rising Star in 2022.

From an early age, Tia was interested in technology. Her first project was building a radio. Later, she used her Raspberry Pie to create a website, interactive games, music, and personality tests. In eighth grade, she took an engineering class and created a labyrinth game using laser and 3D printing. Tia took an AP Computer Science class, challenging her to learn Javascript, Java, Python, SQL, and HTML. In this class, she made a program to create a bill for restaurant tables and a search engine that filters restaurants in an area. She is the Co-Chair of the Girls Who Code chapter in her school. Along with her team, she won second place in the Congressional App Challenge for their app “Diversifi”- rating public companies on a grading scale of their gender equality in corporate-level positions. She has worked with the University of Minnesota research team and her tasks included using machine learning to create a voice interface. In addition to volunteering at the local library, she spends time tutoring in math and STEM classes.

Sani is a State Winner.

She was a State Honorable Mention recipient in 2022.

Her interest in Computer Science started in an AP CSP class in her freshman year. After that, she took many high school computer science classes including AP CSA, AP Java, Cybersecurity, and IOS development. She is involved with the Computer Science Honors Society, NHS, and the Robotics programming team. Sani is extremely passionate about Science, especially Astronomy, and is aspiring to become an Aerospace Engineer. She is the captain of Eden Prairie’s Science Olympiad team and is involved in space science and technology events. Going beyond the classroom for experience, Sani has interned at the University of Minnesota to build a new Transient-Detector Turbo Telescope. In the project, after self-studying Python, she wrote python scripts to perform photometry on stars and implemented basic machine learning to get telescope images. Last summer, she interned at SPS Commerce at their Assortment Web Applications team where she got hands-on experience with Typescript coding and website development. Sani also volunteers at the Minnesota Science Museum as a Science Activity Volunteer as she enjoys explaining scientific concepts to curious little kids. In the competitive world, she has participated and won several hackathons and has won the district in Congressional App Challenge. In the future, she hopes to find opportunities that connect her passion for Astronomy with her interest in technology

Ishana Didwania is a National Honorable Mention recipient and a State Winner.

She was a State Honorable Mention recipient in 2022.

Ishana began programming in 6th grade at a 5-year computer science program in St. Paul, where she studied HTML/CSS, Javascript, PHP, MySQL, Python, and Java. She created projects related to her Indian heritage, such as Project ABCD and cryptoquote puzzles about Indian figures. Since 2021, she has volunteer taught an Intro to Web Development class on Saturday mornings that covers HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap. She plans each lesson and grades assignments during the week, and teaches the class on Saturday mornings. The students are in 6th grade and learn to code an interactive website about India. She has completed over 70 volunteer hours per year in this role. In 2022, she began a paid Teaching Assistant position for an online python class, where student fees are used to build libraries in India. As a TA, she grades assignments, holds weekly help sessions to assist students with homework, and helps the teacher with any other tasks. Around 30 libraries will be built in India through this program. Ishana also likes to challenge herself with difficult AP and CIS math and science classes at school. She is the co-president of her school band and a Minnesota All State band flute player. Her extracurriculars have inspired her to pursue a career in computer science with a focus in education, with hopes to become a teacher or professor one day.

Clare is a State Winner.

She was a 2022 State Honorable Mention recipient and a 2021 Certificate of Distinction recipient.

Clare participated in FIRST Lego League robotics until 7th grade when her team switched to FIRST Tech Challenge robotics. Clare became the lead programmer on her team. Clare helps to make coding simple for the rest of her team. Clare loves to solve problems with code. Clare was also on a successful Technovation team and helped make beta apps for donation, volunteering, and college planning for high school students. Through Technovation, Clare worked with a team to create multiple Alexa skills to help with keeping track of accomplishments and another to help have a dance party. In addition to robotics and Technovation, Clare also plays rugby, is an active girl scout, and was on a board to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Clare combined girl scouts with STEM, and her robotics team created multiple curricula to help girl scouts earn badges and get involved and spark their interest in STEM. Clare plans to continue in STEM by getting a degree in cybersecurity. Clare hopes to continue to look for opportunities to grow her skills and learn new things in technology.

Aditi is a State Winner.

She has achieved the impressive feat of being a 2 time winning Rising Star Honoree.

With 8 years of experience in robotics, Aditi has served as the Wayzata Robotics team captain for the past 3 years, demonstrating her leadership abilities and technical expertise. As a mentor for younger students in FLL and FTC, Aditi has helped educate them on numerous aspects of robotics since the 6th grade. She has also conducted programming classes for various age groups, with a special focus on encouraging young girls interested in programming. Aditi has gained significant experience in 3D designing and printing, as well as CAD. Her passion for technology is evident in her pursuit of multiple computer essentials and technology classes in high school. Additionally, she has recently dedicated her time to contribute to a technology-based solution for a global problem, namely Distracted Driving. Aditi secured an outstanding internship as a technology and social media committee member, where she demonstrated her proficiency in various aspects of technology. Aditi’s vast knowledge and skill set in computer science make her an exceptional asset to many young minds.

Liliana is a State Winner.

She was a Rising Star in 2022.

Her passion for technology began when she was around 10, when she became interested in learning how to edit videos. By researching programs and techniques to use she developed a skill that she used as a creative outlet from ages 10-15. Because she was able to create bonds in the technology and editing related communities she was involved in, she knew she enjoyed environments and anything tech related. In school, Liliana has pursued her interest in technology by taking both AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A, as well as other AP and Honors courses. She is the founder and co-president of the Asian Student Association at her school and is a member of the Women in Computer Science club. The computer science courses available to her were the catalyst to her interest in pursuing a career in the IT field. She can currently program and JavaScript and Java, but hopes to soon have the opportunity to expand the list of programming languages she knows. She plans on majoring in computer science in college, hoping to further develop her skills as well as help promote and diversify the field by encouraging other women and minorities to give CS a chance! Outside of school, Liliana is currently trying to learn how to play the electric guitar, and also enjoys listening to RnB music, online shopping, and reading.

Jasmine is a National Honorable Mention and State Winner for 2023.

She was also a State Honorable mention in 2022.

She is a self-motivated entrepreneur who exposes elementary school students to STEM. Jasmine’s online learning organization called CREATE tutoring offers free tutoring sessions for any K-6 student who wants to expand their knowledge in STEM. Running an organization has taught her how to manage tutors, leverage multiple social media platforms, and engage a community through various events and workshops.
Additionally, she enjoys leading weekly lessons for girls interested in building apps. Jasmine wants to pursue a major in Computer Science. She hopes to find meaningful work within the tech industry to help her gain experience while working towards her degrees to help launch her career and ultimately venture into the tech start-up arena.

Ellen is a State Winner.

She has been interested in STEM since a young age; engaging in technology camps at the University of Minnesota inspired her to join a FIRST Tech Challenge team from middle school. Her team competed in last year’s state tournament. Ellen has participated in the International Science and Engineering Fair, which encouraged her interest in computer science. She co-founded the first coding club at her school as a chapter of the Girls Who Code Club program. Ellen teaches members to code their own games and websites while also leading them in group activities, such as making Arduino projects. Last summer, she participated in the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program, deepening her knowledge of front-end design while coding and presenting websites. At school, Ellen takes advanced science and math classes to further her STEM knowledge and had the opportunity to participate in the International Muon Week. She holds the Technology position on the National Honor Society executive board and is a captain of her Science Olympiad team, winning medals and team awards at State tournaments and other large invitationals.
Ellen also enjoys playing viola in her school’s Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Youth Symphonies Symphony Orchestra, and the All-State Orchestra. She is captain of her school’s Speech and Debate team and has volunteered at the Johanna Shores Nursing Home and Regions Hospital. In the future, Ellen aspires to innovate solutions to better society.

Siona is a National Honorable Mention recipient and a State Winner.

She has been coding since elementary school, where she learned to code on Hopscotch and Scratch. In high school, Siona has taken many computer science courses, her favorite being AP Java. She’s currently advancing programming skills in her school’s iOS App Development class. Outside of school, Siona attended UPenn’s Data Analytics Summer Camp, where she used Python to collect, analyze, and visualize data, and developed a love for data science. She also attended the University of Michigan’s Joy of Coding camp in 2022, where she learned more about Python and its applications. Her experiences with technology have shown her how powerful it can be as a solution to real problems. Earlier this year, she started volunteering for the South Asian Women’s Network, a nonprofit. As their digital marketing associate, Siona helps with website development, event marketing, and other initiatives to raise awareness. Her work inspired her to develop a service, AmplifiedMN, providing digital development services to other non-profit organizations. Siona is also working on creating a web-based platform, CycleConnect, that promotes biking as a fun and healthy activity for high schoolers. Siona is a captain on her school’s debate team, and she’s also part of the speech team, DECA, varsity alpine skiing team, and track and field. In the future, she plans on pursuing data science and economics.

Meiling is a State Winner.

Their interest in programming was sparked in elementary school when their dad taught them how to code for a school project. In the 10+ years that they have been programming, Meiling has always been passionate about developing software that can help people. In 2021, Meiling was hired by a startup to develop its company website on WordPress, applying their back-end programming skills and UX design experience to the project. At their job as an intern at Claire Givens Violins, Meiling developed a program to help coworkers better track their online store’s inventory. Inspired by an overuse injury they experienced two years ago from playing the violin, Meiling is currently working on a machine learning project through their school’s research program to screen for warning signs of carpal tunnel syndrome in violinists. Meiling also undertook a research project last year on Natural Language Processing to build an artificial intelligence program that could mimic a specific person’s language style in conversation. Meiling received the Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award from the University of Rochester for this work, as well as their strong performance in their science and math classes. Meiling enjoys learning math, as they are currently taking two higher-level math classes through Normandale Community College. Meiling hopes to study Computer Science in college with an emphasis on Artificial Intelligence and Human-Computer Interactions.

Karen is a National Honorable Mention recipient and a State Winner. 

She was also a 2022 State Honorable Mention recipient.

Karen was first introduced to programming through a Python course offered at her school, which sparked her curiosity in the intersection of computing and life sciences. With a desire to deepen her knowledge, Karen took advanced courses in computing and Java and applied computational tools to her biomedical research projects, which earned her a spot as an International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Finalist. She is continuously expanding her expertise through studies in statistics, SQL, and data analysis.

Karen is also an active member of her community, serving as an Outreach Officer for the SWENext club and a captain for both Cross country and Nordic skiing teams. In addition, she is a 2023 National Merit Finalist and holds a leadership role as the Vice President of the National Honor Society. She aspires to contribute to the field of neuro-technology by conducting cutting-edge research and developing innovative solutions that have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the brain.

Amelie is a State Winner.

She was also a Rising Star in 2022 and 2021.

She has been drawn to math, coding, and technology from a young age and has explored these interests in many areas. While young, she enjoyed using code.org at school and took part in coding and problem solving camps, including a Lego Robotics camp which helped pique her interest in this field. In middle and high school, Amelie took all the offered computer science classes at her school including AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science Java. She has taken part in programs like Rebecca Coder Dojo and Technovation, where she collaborated with a team to create an app that works to reduce plastic waste by facilitating exchange between recycling companies and consumers. Amelie is set to graduate from the University of Minnesota Talented Youth Math Program (UMTYMP) this Spring after learning linear algebra and multivariate calculus. She plans to continue her studies for math and computer science by obtaining a double major in Actuarial Science/Mathematics and Computer Science. Outside of math and computer science, Amelie runs varsity for her school’s cross country and track team and qualified for cross country state this past fall. She also enjoys reading, watching professional soccer, and playing video games.

Romy is a National Honorable Mention recipient and State winner.

Her interest in STEM was sparked by her first trip to the Bakken Museum at the age of 6 while watching electricity bring Frankenstein to life. But it was the Bakkenspiel that introduced her how to combine her love for music with computer coding that made her want to pursue STEM. In Middle School, she explored how to address environmental issues by building a portable water filter for developing countries. The following year, she tested the growth rate of bacteria in different materials commonly used in reusable water bottles. In high school, she had the opportunity to work at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, analyzing a computational model of the protein that causes Alzheimer’s Disease when overactive in the brain. This work led to her being recognized with the American Chemical Society Award, Society of In Vitro Biology Award, and being named first alternate to the International Science and Engineering Fair at the state science fair.This experience solidified her interest to explore the intersection of computer coding in the medical arena. The pandemic allowed her to share her STEM passion with grade school kids. She led the Young Inventors Club, a program that helped elementary students develop their own invention while learning about the scientific method. Outside of school, she leads her basketball team as varsity captain and plays the bass guitar.

Nitya is a State winner.

She was a 2022 State Honorable Mention recipient.

She has been interested in coding ever since she was introduced to the field during Hour of Code in elementary school. In high school she continues to pursue her interest in software development. After taking the APCSP class offered at her high school, her passion for programming grew. After self-studying Java, she founded the USA Computing Olympics club at her high school where members collaborate to solve computing problems by developing algorithms and implementing them using Java. This was done to prepare members to compete in online tournaments. Last year, Nitya was able to shadow the CIO of Pohlad Companies. She gained insight into how technology helps many areas in their business in order to run a successful company. She also participated in the Girls Who Code program and earned 5 beginner certifications in HTML & CSS, Javascript, web design, cybersecurity and cryptography. This year, she took AP Java at her school and is currently taking the IOS App Development course. Outside of STEM programs, Nitya is a captain of her school’s NSDA speech team, plays piano, loves to dance and is president of her school’s tutoring program. Nitya plans to pursue a career in computer science- specifically in the field of artificial intelligence. This fast growing field is fascinating to her.

Alexandra is a National Honorable Mention recipient and State Winner.

In 2022, she was a State Honorable Mention recipient.

Alexandra (Alex) has been interested in computer science from a young age. She first began coding in Scratch, where she created simple animations, and fell in love with computers. She participated in Technovation while in middle school and won a regional award with her team when they created a carpooling app that aimed to combat global warming. In high school she took IB level computer science classes and learned to program in Java and Python. As part of the IB curriculum she also had the opportunity to write a software project, a well-being program for corporate business employees to log their healthy habits and earn points for a discount on insurance. In 2020 Alexandra took a Harvard EdX computer science course over the summer, which she successfully completed. In 2021 she completed an internship at the UMN working with spatial databases. The focus of the project was using bucket-dwell times to look at time spent at POIs (points of interest) pre-COVID versus post-COVID. Alexandra would like to have a career in software engineering, working on projects related to current issues.
She will pursue computer science at the UMN next year.

Zoke Sackih is a National Honorable Mention recipient and State Winner.

She was a 2022 State Honorable Mention recipient.

Her love for science was born through watching the Marvel movie, Ant-Man. Zoke was fascinated by the topics of particle physics that were discussed in the film. She started doing more research into physics, and this brought her into the greater world of STEM. Eventually, she navigated into the world of computer science and coding. In the 9th grade, she joined a club called Technovation Girls MN. Technovation is a worldwide initiative that challenges girls to solve a problem in their community by building an app. That year, with no previous experience, she built an application with her peers. She was so amazed and inspired by the experience that in 10th grade she did Technovation again, enrolled in AP Computer Science A, and joined her high school’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team. Through all these experiences she kept building her skills, and the following summer, she got the privilege to work as an intern at Datasite. She joined the cloud team and expanded her knowledge of programming. In three months, Zoke learned Python and learned to utilize API’s. In addition, she learned about Docker and built a Command Line Interface to help her team. In the current 2022-2023 school year, Zoke has continued with Technovation and robotics. In the future, Zoke aspires to be an astrophysicist and study all the crazy phenomena she was introduced to when she sat down and watched Ant-Man for the first time.

Tanisha is a State Winner.

She was also a 2022 State Honorable Mention recipient.

Her passion for computing began at a young age when her dad first taught her about computer basics and coding. Starting in Elementary school, Tanisha was immersed in STEM through programs like Math Masters and Robotics club. Which led her to continue the STEM path in Middle and High School. Through Middle school, Tanisha was a part of the Tech Titans program. This program worked to bring coding and technology to a middle school audience while also going to retirement homes and helping them with tech problems they had. She recently participated in a hackathon where she developed a fully functioning app to help fix the issue of food waste in her local community. Over the summer, Tanisha participated in a lot of coding and java activities with different organizations. Alongside that, Tanisha has been job shadowing and mentoring at different companies in the Minneapolis area learning more about global technology and programming. Tanisha has participated in Speech and Debate in her school and recently competed at the state tournament, she plans to major in biology with a focus on computers in healthcare. She has an interest in Biomedical Engineering and would love to make the technology we have more accessible and affordable for people for them to receive care.

Ariel is a State Winner.

Her passion for programming began when she took AP Computer Science Principles during her Sophomore year of high school. Since then, she has taken an abundance of Computer Science courses such as AP Java, Cyber Security, and iOS App Development. She is currently taking Advanced iOS Development to strengthen her programming abilities and continue her interest in software development. Ariel also completed a foundational cyber security course through the SANS Foundation. Through these classes, she has learned Java, Python, Swift, C, SQL, and Linux. Ariel has applied these skills to become a finalist for CyberStart America. In addition to her rigorous coursework, she was a Teaching Assistant for the Computer Science department at her school. Ariel worked closely with teachers to develop curriculum for Java and Cyber Security. She also led study sessions after school to help current CS students prepare for tests. Ariel participates in her school’s Computer Science Honor Society and is the Co-President this year. Her duties as Co-President entail coordinating weekly meetings, planning events, and communicating with members. Over the summer, Ariel worked at Tech Academy to make STEM education more accessible to elementary-aged students. She loved sharing her passion with younger students, especially girls. Ariel will be pursuing Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison next year.

Ashley is a State Winner.

She was a 2022 State Honorable Mention recipient, a 2021 Rising Star, and a 2020 Rising Star.

Ashley is a problem solver and has always had a passion for the STEM field. While attending a Minnesota Asipirations in Computing event during her freshman year of high school, Ashley discovered that she wanted to become a software engineer or robotics engineer. Ashley’s family is from Peru and one of her future goals is to help communities in third world countries advance their technology. She would like to bring 21st century innovations to these communities. Ashley hopes that these technological advancements will create opportunities for others and made the world a better place.

Leigha is a State Winner.

She was a 2022 State Honorable Mention recipient and a 2021 Certificate of Distinction recipient.

Leigha’s interest in STEM started at a very young age when she would visit the Minnesota Science Museum and participate in school science fairs. In 6th grade, she joined a FIRST LEGO League team and has been participating in FIRST robotics programs for the last seven years. Now as a captain of her FIRST Tech Challenge team, Spontaneous Construction, she is responsible for hardware, CAD, wiring, documentation, and team finances. Leigha and her robotics team regularly participate in outreach events where they advocate the importance of STEM. In April, Leigha and her team will compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships in Houston after winning 1st place in Minnesota. In school, she takes multiple AP and advanced classes and is a certified Emergency Medical Responder. She is currently in training to become a licensed Emergency Medical Technician. Leigha is a violinist in her school’s top chamber orchestra, a martial artist, a member of National Honor Society, a Presidential Scholar candidate, a Minnesota Dean’s List Awards finalist, and a Stratasys Project Leadership award winner. Leigha has always been fascinated by medicine and hopes to combine her interests in medicine and engineering by pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering.