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Westchester High School Seniors Win Computing Award

Three Byram Hills High School seniors have won the 2018 Award for Aspirations in Computing from the Hudson Valley Affiliate of the National Center for Women & Information Technology, and 11 received honorable mention for the award.

Lisa Pellegrino poses with Byram Hills High School seniors recognized by the Hudson Valley Affiliate of the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

Lisa Pellegrino poses with Byram Hills High School seniors recognized by the Hudson Valley Affiliate of the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

Photo Credit: Provided
Lisa Pellegrino

Lisa Pellegrino

Photo Credit: Provided

This was the first year that Byram Hills students were nominated for the award, which honors female high school students for their computing-related achievements and interests.

Recipients are chosen for “their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing; leadership ability; academic history; and plans for post-secondary education,” according to the National Center.

Byram Hills’ 2018 Hudson Valley Affiliate winners of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing are Alexandra Brocato, Alexandra Cvern and Marina Treibenbacher.

The students who received honorable mention for the affiliate-level award are: Christina Baris, Dylan Dorfman, Stella Li, Malorie Lipstein, Dylan Massoni, Alexis Rosenberg, Dina Sokol, Phoebe Waxman, Samantha Wurm, Dana Zamat, and Julia Zimmerman.

The students were nominated in the fall by Lisa Pellegrino, chairperson of the Mathematics Department, who has taught all of them in computer science or mathematics courses.

“I’m so proud of all of these young women,” Pellegrino said. “They are all inspirations and role models in the male-dominated field of computer science. Young women seeing other young women in computer science is inspiring.”

In addition, Pellegrino won the regional-level NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award. The National Center says the award honors educators who “encourage high school women’s interest and participation in technology pursuits.”

Most of the young women recognized are students in a new class this year at Byram Hills, AP Computer Science Principles, a college-level introductory computing course designed for students without a computer science background.

“They’re seeing computer science for what it really is, something that touches the arts, the humanities, something that touches business and education,” Pellegrino said. 

Of the winners, Pellegrino said two had computer science experience before this school year, but one did not. 

“All three of them, I would say in their own ways, are inspiring folks to go into computer science who otherwise might not consider it,” she said.

Pellegrino said she is proud of all the young women: “I’m thrilled that they won." 

Pictured In the group photo's front row, from left, are the winners of the affiliate-level Award for Aspirations in Computer, Alexandra Brocato, Marina Treibenbacher and Alexandra Cvern. Those who received honorable mention, in the middle row, from left, are: Phoebe Waxman, Dylan Dorfman, Alexis Rosenberg, Dina Sokol and Malorie Lipstein, and in the back row, from left, are: Dana Zamat, Samantha Wurm, Stella Li, Christina Baris and Julia Zimmerman. Missing for the group photo was Dylan Massoni, who received an honorable mention. 

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