The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Aspirations in Computing Awards are awards given every year to women and gender expansive groups celebrating their breakthroughs in computer science and programming. These awards highlight high school students with creativity, innovation and interest all across America, and are given based on their impact.

This award is grouped into five overall categories in the state and national level. These categories include (in order of prestigiousness): State Rising Star, State Honorable Mention, State Winner, National Honorable Mention and National Winner. Based on your award, you will either be flown out to your state’s department for a conference (that being awards ranging from State Rising Star to National Honorable Mention), or get flown all the way to Washington DC for a conference and dinner (for National Winners).

Wayzata NCWIT 2026 Awardees

 National Honorable Mention

• Aaratrika M. (Junior)

State Winner

• Nayan M. (Junior)
• Parth R. (Sophomore)

State Honorable Mention

• Saanvi R. (Freshman)
• Faheema M. (Freshman)

State Rising Star

• Pooja K. (Junior)
• Saad K. (Junior)
• Samuela A. (Freshman)
• Lisa C. (Freshman)

The NCWIT Awards are a proud display of how intertwined leadership and an interest in computer science and technology can be. Aaratrika Mondal, a National Honorable Mention Award Winner, mentioned how her activities led her to be able to get this honor. “[I] love teaching and sharing my passion for learning, and am an Academic mentor, as well as a tutor at Kumon.” Along with being certified in Java under Centriport, Aaratrika embodies NCWITT’s goal in showcasing students with leadership, and an interest in STEM.

Getting these awards is a big honor. From State Rising Star to National Honorable Mention, these awards showcase talent, interest and determination in achieving new heights in computer science for women and gender expansive individuals. Nayan Menon, a State Winner, mentioned how receiving this award is “something that feels very memorable because it reflects the journey and effort that I had put in.”

Overall, the NCWIT Awards are a landmark timestamp in many high schoolers’ paths in pursuing computer science. It’s an honor to have many students from Wayzata get these awards and amazing to have many across the award categories, showcasing how everyone starts at different points in time but comes together to go on and create their own journey through Computer Science.