2026 Testimonials
View Full Testimonials Here (p. 11 & 12)
Angelina Giuseffi
NCWIT Award Year: 2022
“My collegiate level studies in computing and related disciplines and/or
involvement in student organizations have surprised me by bringing in guest
speakers from companies like Kohler to my classes to discuss their own experiences in tech and give us students advice on how to network and
prepare ourselves for careers after graduation."
Emily Dryja (Gehrke)
NCWIT Award Years: 2016 & 2017
"Everything changed when
my teacher, Mrs. Logan, encouraged me to take a Computer Science course
and apply for the NCWIT Award. Receiving that recognition, along with a
grant to start a coding club at my school, gave me the confidence to step
into a field I once thought was too difficult for me. This carried me through
an Electrical Engineering degree and into a commission with the Space Force."
Summer Acker
NCWIT Award Years:
2018 & 2019
“Being recognized as an NCWIT Wisconsin Affiliate Winner in high school was an incredible honor. The award opened doors for me in college, allowing me to engage with computing experiences that aligned with my
passions, introduced me to inspiring, real-life role models, and celebrated my persistence.”
Vivian Dinh
NCWIT Award Years:
2022-2025
“Being part of the NCWIT
Aspirations cohort showed me that girls belong in STEM and empowered me to create a community for the girls in my high school.
Now, in college, I’m part of the board for our Society of Women Engineers chapter, but I can’t forget where I came from (NCWIT Wisconsin!!).”
2025 Testimonials
Full Testimonials Here (p. 11 & 12)
Naomi Bhagat
U of I Urbana-Champaign Class of '24
“Winning theaward reignited my belief in myself and my abilities as a future software engineer. It reminded me that setbacks don't define us; how we respond to them does. The scholarship also helped me
complete my undergraduate degrees, but the biggest takeaway was that failure is simply a learning opportunity."
Isabelle Kramar
University of Wisconsin-Madison Class of '25
"The amount of gratitude I have for NCWIT is truly beyond words. In 2019, after discovering the AspireIT grant, I was awarded
the opportunity to run Wisconsin's first Artificial Intelligence Workshop for 8th-12th graders, in partnership with MSOE. I learned so much, fell in love with teaching, and saw the importance of creating accessible opportunities for students. To date, this has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had, and I hope to continue to pass along NCWIT's initiative in all of my future endeavors."
Anja Logan
NCWIT Award Years:
2018-2020
“NCWIT Wisconsin and the Aspirations Award program has benefited me by providing me with a supportive community of
other women pursuing careers in CS. When I got to college it was important for me to find a similar community on campus.
Through Linux Ladies, a women in CS club at St. Olaf College, I was able to plan career development events and build relationships with fellow female students."
Shrishrika Pattaswamy
NCWIT Award Years:
2019 & 2021
“I applied to the NCWIT award twice while in highschool and loved the community of girls I met each time. Being a part
of the NCWIT alumni has given a valuable opportunity to attend
conferences, camps, and even internships with like-minded students. While in college I had the opportunity to join the NCWIT team and have been even more connected with the community.”
2024 Testimonials
Full Testimonials Here (p. 11 & 12)
Vera
Obrknez
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Class of '27
“Through
NCWIT Wisconsin, I gained access to mentorship programs and professional development opportunities that expanded my knowledge and honed my technological skills. The
recognition also helped play a pivotal role in securing my internship at Molson Coors as a freshman, indirectly paving the way for professional growth."
Shradha
Godishala
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Class of '27
"Before coming to UW-Madison, I talked to an NCWIT Ambassador at
UW-Madison. Furthermore, I took advantage of making connections at the award ceremony which led me to more connections in the workforce. Furthermore, it has led me to gain mentors and networking opportunities for the start-up I’m working on. On campus, I am
involved with the Women in Business Tech club, which helped me connect with other students interested in Technology and Business."
Rachel Woody
University of California-Berkeley
Class of '22
“NCWIT Wisconsin has been transformative in my journey. At UC Berkeley, I succeeded in my lower-division computer science courses, even programming a version of Alan Turing’s enigma machine and participating in a Hackathon to address mental illness in refugee
communities along the way. During this time, I developed an interest in neuroscience and ended up applying my programming/analytical skills to research."
Taylor Wilmot
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Class of '26
“Being embraced by the NCWIT community during my freshmen year of high school remains a cherished memory, one that profoundly shaped my tech journey. My passion for technology was ignited by meeting inspiring, driven individuals and discovering the boundless
opportunities within the field through NCWIT. Through perseverance and dedication, I have
navigated challenges, embraced failures as learning experiences, and celebrated successes.”
2023 Testimonials
Full Testimonials Here (p. 12)
Julianna Getka
NCWIT Award Years: 2018 & 2019
“I decided I wanted to pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering for multiple reasons. I was inspired by a keynote speaker at the National Center for
Women & Information Technology awards ceremony who talked about her job at a hospital designing systems and machines used on patients. She talked about working on developing a device that could alert people when they were about to have a stroke, heart attack, or any major medical emergency. I was immediately fascinated by the idea of involving the medical field with technology."
Tania Mishra
NCWIT Award Years: 2019 - 2021
"The NCWIT community has benefited me in many ways. I first became a part of the community in 2019, my freshman year of high school. Attending
the award ceremony and joining the online communities on Slack and Facebook helped me feel like I belong in the tech world. Despite there being only a few girls in my tech classes, this community showed me how powerful and important women in tech are. In addition, I got the opportunity to apply for an internship at Northwestern Mutual through NCWIT WI."
2022 Testimonials
Full Testimonials Here (p. 11 & 12)
Kate Martino
Data Analytics Major
Class of '23
“I have had some awesome opportunities such as serving on
the NCWIT-WI board as the Alumni Chair working with past awardees and interning with
Northwestern Mutual for the past year in their Data Science and Analytics department. I
started at NM as program management intern and transitioned to a Data Analyst intern where I have learned so many skills that I will be able to apply to my future career."
Kim Phillip
Software Developer
“I think the AiC award and community helped me a lot in college - reading about what
my other peers were doing or struggling with across different universities. I also got
additional interview opportunities (like Bloomberg) through the award. I went to a few
NCWIT meet-ups in NYC over those years and got to stop by the NCWIT booth and snag a cool T-shirt I still wear to this day! I’m definitely grateful for the NCWIT community.”
Grace Steinmetz
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Class of '24
“NCWIT has supported me in so many ways. Going to the awards ceremony and being in a community of girls just like me, who are passionate about technology was insane. The feeling of being a part of something bigger, the feeling of joy and pure happiness where you know, there are people that are just like you. Some friends and I were able to start a high school organization from the money we applied for, Aspire It.”
Julia Schmidt
GoDaddy - Senior Software Engineer
"I am extremely fortunate to have been a part of NCWIT throughout my time in high school and college. The support and resources offered by the community were invaluable when
navigating my education and early career, including advice to pursue opportunities that emphasized soft skills alongside technical roles like research positions and internships.
Having a diverse array of experiences helped me stay well-rounded in a highly technical major and helped me identify what I valued in a job."
Lexus Fuller
University of Rochester
Class of '25
“I am currently studying in the concentration of cell and tissue
engineering. My goal is to be able to further knowledge and research in the potential of stem cell regeneration and regenerative therapies. I would also like to use the degree to be able to then go into medical school and become a specialized doctor of some kind."
Muskan Kanungo
Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)
Class of '22
“My collegiate level studies in computing and bioinformatics, as well as involvement in a student organization called Connecting Researchers, Educators and Student (CREST), have surprised me because I never realized how integral computing is for the modeling of complex chemical and biological structures. By elucidating such structures, we are better
able to understand protein structures and drug-drug interactions, which can help us identify and study potential drug targets for diseases, including SARS-CoV-2. I never realized that
computing could be used for drug discovery and development.”
2021 Testimonials
Full Testimonials Here (p. 11 & 12)
Tenzin Chokyl
University Of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate
“Time management is a crucial skill to have in college since there are so many distractionswhether it be your social life or organization meetings. I know I was pretty overwhelmed my
first semester. I got the hang of setting a fixed schedule for myself so I can have all my school
work and projects completed on time. I would really recommend looking into notion, this has
saved me throughout college and kept me on track with my work."
Megan Choy
University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate
“NCWIT Wisconsin has connected me with a network of like-minded and inspirational women who are also passionate for STEM. As I grow older, I am now able to use NCWIT-WI to inspire other young women who are on a similar journey - to unveil and thrivein our passion for STEM. I owe many thanks to the mentors I had in high school and beyond
who are connected with the NCWIT network. It was thanks to the encouragement and supportfrom these people that has led me to succeed in my courses, internships, and now my college
career.”
Rachel Hunter
Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)
“One thing I wish I had known when I graduated high school was the value of confidence. When you really know something, speak up and be proud to share your knowledge. Being part of the NCWIT community helped keep me motivated to finish my degree while I was in college. Thisis an amazing community of supportive women!”
Carrie Lefeber
University of Wisconsin-Platteville Graduate
“While my major may not be computer science directly, I have come to realize that computer technology plays a big rolein all engineering disciplines. I am currently in a thermodynamics class where we use a computer software to help us solve our math
related problems. I wish I would’ve known the importance of computer science throughout
the engineering disciplines in high school."
Madeline Moran
Loyola University Graduate
“NCWIT Wisconsin has benefited me by connecting me with a community of women and non-binary individuals whoshare my same interests in technology and wanting to use and create new technological
advancements for the benefit of others. It has benefited me to know there is a great community of individuals like me out there
striving to pursue degrees and innovation in technology. By engaging with my interests
in Computer Science and particularly with groups like NCWIT and Girls Who Code early, I found I was really well set up to begin college courses.”
Abby Myers
Michigan Tech University Graduate
“The most transformational experience in high school related to my interest in computing and related technologies was... getting my first internship! My internship didn’t just teach me tons of newprogramming skills. It also gave me a glimpse into what all of those programming
skills could be used for.”
2020 Testimonials
Full Testimonials Here (p. 10 & 11)
Rucheng Pan
Brookfield East High School Graduate
“NCWIT Wisconsin provides a lotof resources for awardees. They will often email awardees with new opportunities in CS and scholarship opportunities. Through NCWIT Wisconsin,
I have learned of several scholarships and programs I would’ve not known about otherwise."
Brenda Moe
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Graduate
“NCWIT Wisconsin has allowed
me to stand up for myself and have proof that I belong in the IT field. When first looking at colleges I wanted to attend I discovered that all
said that computer science doesn’t meld well with a minor in design or journalism but my experiences with NCWIT didn’t allow me back down. Eventually I found UWM which allowed me to be an IST major with the flexibility for an individual to minor in many disciplines. They allowed me to follow my dreams.”
Rachael Wiley
Waukesha County Technical College Graduate
“The day I found out I had won the NCWIT AiC award changed my whole outlook and attitude towards being a girl in belt gave me the confidence to ask for what I wanted. Although my high school was small I was fortunate enough to have an amazing computer teacher who saw my interest and continuouslygave me new material to look into including online university-level courses. After taking a few courses he urged me to apply for NCWIT
Aspirations because of my pursuit of an IT career. I was put off at first when I read the bios of past awardees and their accomplishments. But my teacher was quick to respond by telling me to look at what I accomplished. When I did
that, I felt better about myself having taken all computer classes at my high school plus four
college courses. So I applied, was recognized as a state winner and was even a semester ahead
when I did start at UWM.IT. I discovered that it is not something to be shameful of or intimidated by, but instead a position of empowerment to
make a difference. Be inspired by your accomplishments and never give up.”