CACC Students receive NCWIT Information Technology Award

 Najeebah Hussain, Shelby Richardson, Kristen Buster, Samantha Ding, Breta Phillips and Laura Estabrooks (front)  Brad Mann, Nat Graham, Patrick Sasser and Bob Allee (back)             

Columbia Area Career Center students Kristen Buster (Graphic Design/Web Design), Najeebah Hussain (Computer Programming), Shelby Richardson (Geospatial Information Systems) and Michelle Zhuang (Computer Programming) have received the 2013 Missouri and Kansas NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing. The award, sponsored by Microsoft, Motorola Solutions Foundation, and the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) recognizes young high school women for their computing-related achievements and interests in an effort to encourage more young women to choose careers in technology. Congratulations to these award recipients! We are proud that four of our own students received this prestigious award.

Nominated for the award by their instructors, they are four of only 15 young women to receive the award throughout high schools across the Missouri and Kansas region.  They were selected for their demonstrated outstanding aptitude and interest in information technology and computing, solid leadership ability, excellent academic history and plans for post-secondary education.

Robert Allee, Columbia Area Career Center Computer Aided Design instructor, was named the NCWIT 2013 Missouri & Kansas Educator Award Recipient.  The award recognizes educators for their efforts to promote gender equity in computing by helping to encourage young women to continue exploring their interest in computing and technology.  Columbia Area Career Center Computer Aided Design students Samantha Ding, Natalie Heath, Katherine Hurdle, Jessica Murphey, and Kendall Overton; and Civil Engineering and Architecture student Breta Phillips also received recognition for their outstanding computer-related accomplishments. Read full article.

Shelby Richardson, Kristen Buster, Keynote Speaker, Alicia Dwyer Cianciolo, and Michelle Zhuang