Shady Side Academy Junior Qingqing Zhao has been named a winner of a 2020 National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC). She is one of the 18 award winners chosen from the NCWIT Western & Central Pennsylvania/West Virginia affiliate region. A total of 43 young women in the PA/WV region and nearly 400 nationwide were recognized with 2020 AiC Awards out of more than 4,700 applicants from high schools representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and all U.S. overseas military bases.

The NCWIT AiC Award honors high school women who are active and interested in computing and technology, and encourages them to pursue their passions. Recipients are chosen for their demonstrated interest and achievements in computing, proven leadership ability, academic performance and plans for post-secondary education.

Each affiliate award winner receives recognition at an award event, an engraved award for both her and her school, scholarship and internship opportunities, access to a peer network of technical young women in the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Community (sponsored by Bloomberg), and may receive various other prizes — computing resources, gadgets, sponsor-branded swag, and more.

Congratulations, Qingqing!