Tri County Tech Student Wins NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) High School Award
Official News Release from Tri County Tech
Tri County Tech and Barnsdall High School student Yasmina Bruton received the National Center for Women & Information Technology Award for Aspirations in Computing on April 9, 2024.
The award, sponsored by Bank of America, recognizes 9th-12th grade women, genderqueer, or non-binary students for their computing-related achievements and interests as part of an effort to encourage a diverse range of students to choose careers in technology.
“Encouraging students who have historically been underrepresented in technology fields is critical. Computing underlies an increasing number of the products and systems we use every day, and to ensure they are beneficial to the broadest group of people possible, a diverse group of people must dream them and then create them.” –Terry Hogan, NCWIT CEO and Executive Director
Bruton joins four hundred award recipients selected from high schools across 50 states and the U.S. territories for their outstanding aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing. Bruton was honored for her accomplishments at Tri County Tech and Barnsdall High School.
Bruton has distinguished herself both in her Pre-Engineering program and as a member of Tri County Tech’s FIRST Robotics Team 2165. She serves as the team programmer and also helps scout potential students to join.
“Yasmina [Bruton] has taken the robot to several schools and clubs to demonstrate the robot and encourage the younger generation to explore engineering, robots, and programming. She is highly motivated and always ready to learn and take on leadership roles.” –Kendall Baker, Pre-Engineering Instructor
She plans to use those skills in the future as she looks for internships and other opportunities to succeed in engineering.
“Tri County Tech has given me a community to grow and thrive in. Without this community, I wouldn’t be here today.” –Yasmin Bruton, Pre-Engineering Student
Other Winners
Other award winners included Alexia Cross, Atoka High School, Atoka, Oklahoma, and Lesly Rosales, Epic Charter School, Oklahoma City. Ruby Miller and Rachel Maltz, both of Atoka High School, received honorable mentions.
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Tri County Tech
About Tri County Tech: We’re one of Oklahoma’s first CareerTech schools and have a steadfast spirit for innovation and improvement – driving economic development since 1967. Our devotion to each other, our students, and the life-changing learning we provide fuels our pursuit of excellence. We call this the “Tri County Way.” We have locations in Bartlesville, Pawhuska, and Nowata, Oklahoma. Tri County Tech is part of the Oklahoma CareerTech system, which offers programs and services in 29 technology center districts and operates on 59 campuses across the state. CareerTech plays a vital role in developing a world-class workforce for Oklahoma employers and prepares Oklahomans to succeed in the workplace, in education, and in life.
NCWIT
NCWIT is the National Center for Women and Information Technology, a nationwide, non-profit community of more than 1,600 universities, companies, non-profits, and government organizations. NCWIT draws on social science research at all levels of the tech ecosystem to identify and promote interventions to correct underrepresentation in computing education and the tech workforce. NCWIT intentionally attends to the ways marginalization varies based on an individual’s intersecting identities. Drawing on research, NCWIT utilizes a holistic approach to both change the system to be more inclusive and develop tech talent to drive innovation. By working with organizations to be intentional with their DEI efforts, to focus on inclusion, and to pay attention to influence, NCWIT strives to ensure the broadest spectrum of people can contribute to the innovations that shape all of our lives.