Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation
Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation
SOUTHFIELD, March 15, 2021 – Forty girls from Michigan middle and high schools connected via Zoom to present the websites they built to a volunteer judging panel of 10 technology industry leaders, as well as peers, families and supporters. The final event of the 15th annual Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation Website Design Competition highlighted the talent of a new generation of female technologists.
MCWT President and Flagstar Bank CIO Jennifer Charters kicked off the event by sharing her life-changing moment in technology – when she received her first computer in middle school and started exploring HTML coding. She talked about her journey through computer science studies at Michigan State University and eventually to her role as CIO. Her message: Girls and women can make anything possible in the technology industry. She asked the girls to envision their future and how technology can help them get there.
“These girls are simply outstanding,” said Charters. “Each participant is deciding to make an investment in her future. She is learning, growing and developing skills that will put her on a path for future success.”
During the finals, participants from around the state demonstrated their websites and discussed how technology has affected their families and their lives. MCWT’s design mission this year was to compare three aspects of their lives in comparison or contrast to their grandparents’ era. Judges awarded monetary prizes for winners in three categories: high school advanced, high school beginner, and middle school.
“The passion from the teams is inspiring; follow it, ask for help if you need it, but don’t give up – keep pushing forward,” said Elizabeth Biddle, IT Director – SAP Request to Pay at General Motors and competition judge. “I have confidence in our future with these girls coming forward.”
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.
“It is humbling to experience the power, fortitude and creativity of the MCWT Website Design competitors,” said May Russell, MCWT K-8 chief mission officer and chief information officer, Ford Commercial Services. “Many of the young ladies had never coded before and demonstrated such admirable passion, resilience, and a hunger for learning as they created amazing websites. We are reminded by them to constantly challenge ourselves to learn new skills, experiment and enjoy the journey!”
Ally, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan and Epitec sponsored the competition.
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Editor’s Note: See list of winners below.
15th Annual MCWT Website Design Contest Winners
View winning websites here – https://www.mcwtwebdesign4girls2020.net/2020-winners/
High School Advanced Category
– 1st Place – Alice Qin, Plymouth High School, CANTON
Topic: Changes Through Time
2nd Place – Shruti Balla, Plymouth High School, CANTON
Topic: Time and Human Evolution
– 3rd Place – Aditi Kashi, International Academy East, TROY
Topic: BackTrack: A Journey into the Past
– Honorable Mention Awards
Angela Matta, Dearborn Center for Math, Science and Technology, DEARBORN
Sreeja Vemulakonda, Canton High School, CANTON
Rithika Karthikeyan and Arunima Vasudev, International Academy East and Troy High School, TROY
High School Beginner Category
– 1st Place – Mikayla Serpico, Bangor Career Academy, BANGOR
Topic: Grandma + Grandpa’s Life vs. Me and My Life
– 2nd Place – Alexandria Balde and Christine Balde, Bloomfield Hills High School, BLOOMFIELD HILLS
Topic: Technology – And how it has bettered our lives compared to our Grandparents era
– 3rd Place – Allie Sensing, Caledonia High School, CALEDONIA
Topic: One Culture, Two Generations – What’s changed between them?
– Honorable Mention Awards
Medhana Kethamreddy and Sruthi Pereddy, International Academy East, TROY
Miranda Novak, Lakeview High School, ST. CLAIR SHORES
Aarushi Singh, Canton High School, CANTON
Middle School Category
– 1st Place – Manya Gowda, Meads Mill Middle School, NORTHVILLE
Topic: GEN
– 2nd Place – Nidhi Narayanan and Kristin Prakash, Boulan Park Middle School, TROY
Topic: Past vs. Present
– 3rd Place – Sayali Badwaik and Anusha Gupta, Boulan Park Middle School, TROY
Topic: Ways to Innovation from Granny’s Pockets – 1900 vs. 2021
– Honorable Mention Awards
Preisha Mitra, Larson Middle School, TROY
Josslyn Giacona, Jefferson Middle School, ST. CLAIR SHORES
Divya Sovani, Boulan Park Middle School, TROY
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