Aya Ahmed of Justice High School was one of three Fairfax County Public School students selected from over 4,200 applicants as recipients of the 2021 National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) honorable mention for computing-related aspirations, demonstrated interest in technology, leadership ability, persistence in pursuing interests in computing, and plans for post-secondary education.

The students are part of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Impressionists group, an after school mentoring program that works with middle and high school minority girls interested in participating in career-related STEM activities.

Through that organization, Ahmed and the other students have had the opportunity to facilitate their own STEM seminars. HackSIP, a hackathon financed with an NCWIT grant, teaches girls from around the country how to code using a microbit.

This summer, after securing a second NCWIT grant, the students will be hosting HackSIP2, a weeklong summer STEM camp for girls.