MCWT’s 58 Website Design Competition Finalists Dare to Dream

SOUTHFIELD, March 18, 2022 – The 16th annual Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation Website Design Competition challenged 58 Michigan middle and high school girls to design a website using this year’s theme of an inspiring and influential woman, or women.

On Feb. 26, finalists virtually presented their site’s design, content and functionality to a volunteer judging panel comprised of technology industry leaders.  

Rajani Sinha, MCWT president and Office of CIO – ICT & Delivery at Stellantis North America, kicked off the event by sharing how she dared to dream bigger than her surroundings, starting from when she was the same age as the website design competition’s finalists. Sinha talked about her challenge of not seeing any role models growing up and her parents’ initial concern when she expressed an interest in technology. She was the first girl from her small hometown to go on to study engineering. 

“Things seem impossible until someone makes it possible; I’d like for you all to strive to be that someone or to do something that hasn’t been done before,” said Sinha. “My message to the girls and their parents is to Dream Big. Don’t let your existing circumstances dictate your vision of your future self.  Follow your heart and doors of opportunity will open.”  

During the finals, participants from around the state demonstrated their websites and discussed the woman/women that inspires them to follow their dreams and be themselves.  

“I’m not offered classes in my school to expand my computer science interest, so MCWT’s tutoring session was one of the limited resources I had available,” said Nuri Hannan, MCWT 2022 Website Design Competition participant. “One of the many things MCWT has taught me is that it’s better to try than to not try at all. I will continue to expand my computer science skills and hopefully conquer my dream of working in the engineering field.” 

The competition began last October with the opportunity to register for free, virtual training sessions on coding and design. Over a three-month period, participants created websites using HTML and CSS. The annual program is designed to inspire more girls to explore technology and computer science.  

“For the finalists that were new to web design and attended MCWT’s training sessions, way to go for taking this challenge head-on and learning new skills,” said Kimberly Arango, MCWT Advisory Board member and volunteer Website Design Competition judge. “You all did something exciting and possibly a little scary, and it’s wonderful to see you chase that.” 

Sunita Das, senior director, M&A Digital Transformation Services, Alix Partners, said she was very impressed by the finalists’ websites and the creativity that they demonstrated throughout the process. 

“These participants overcame several challenges during the development process using skills that will serve them very well in life,” said Das. “I’d certainly be very happy to hire them on the spot today.” 

Judges awarded monetary prizes for winners in three categories: high school advanced, high school beginner, and middle school. Accenture, Alix Partners, KPMG and Verizon sponsored the competition. Since 2006 when the program began, 1,748 girls have participated. 

The Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation supports Michigan’s female IT workforce, students, corporate partners, schools and the overall community with programming, scholarships, networking, learning, mentoring, and technology experiences. Find more information at www.mcwt.org and connect via LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. 

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Editor’s Note: See list of 16th Annual MCWT Website Design Competition Winners here.   

View winner and honorable-mention websites.