Aspirations in Computing Award Ceremony
Tuesday, April 29, 2014 5:30 - 8:30pm
General Mills, Golden Valley, MN
Awards Program Highlights
Opening Remarks
Emmaly Manchanthasouk, Master of Ceremonies Land O’ Lakes and Black Data Processing Associates Alumna
Welcome
Sue Simonett, Chief Technology Officer, General Mills
NCWIT Remarks
Tim Faiella, Program Manager, National Center for Women
and Information Technology (NCWIT)
Special Congratulations
Nancy Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, ViaWest
Keynote Message Cassidy Williams, Previous Award Recipient and Rising IT Star!
Presentation of Awards
Kristin Krone, Manager, Maverick Software Consulting
Barb Schmitt, Senior Director, Consulting Services, Microsoft
Recipient Remarks
Maria Sanchez Lopez, St. Louis Park Senior High School
Annelies Odermann, Wayzata High School
Job Shadow/Intern
Denise Morelock, Director of Business Development,
Opportunities
ESP-IT and Women Leading in Technology (WLiT) – MHTA
Julie Urban, Sr. Principal Program Manager, Symantec
Closing Remarks
Mona Phaff, Product Development Leader and Association for Women in Computing – Twin Cities Chapter
Master of Ceremonies
Emmaly Manchanthasouk
Emmaly majored in Computer Science concentrating in Information Systems at the
University of St. Thomas. She has worked in 5 different industries ranging from being
a Software Engineer at Medtronic creating systems that impact 800,000 patients
globally to being a Quality Assurance Analyst at Thomson Reuters where her primary
role was ‘breaking’ the databases to strengthen their FindLaw systems. Following
her graduation in December she joined Land O’Lakes and is participating in their IT
Leadership Rotational Program where she will take on a new role every six months
over the span of two years. She is in her first rotation as a Web Developer.
In addition to this, she is actively involved in her community. Currently, Emmaly is a volunteer computer
science instructor with Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). They provide their program on Saturdays at
Metropolitan State University, St. Paul Campus. Emmaly is highly passionate about inspiring young men and
women of color to pursue careers in IT, which closely aligns with BDPA’s mission.
She’s especially proud of these accomplishments – 1) being on a team that finished in 4th place at the BDPA’s
National High School Computer Competition, 2) in January, 2014, being honored as BDPA’s Alumna of the Year
and 3) being involved in events that promote women’s leadership development.
Keynote Speaker
Cassidy Williams
Cassidy Williams is a senior at Iowa State, majoring in computer science and
minoring in Spanish. In 2010, she won the Illinois Affiliate Aspirations Award and
was also recognized as a National Runner-Up. During her four years at Iowa State,
Cassidy has experienced 5 internships at companies across the country, including
General Mills, Microsoft, and Intuit, and she studied abroad in Spain. On campus,
she is involved in numerous technology and computing clubs and activities as well
as other volunteer commitments.
In January 2013, she and her sister were 2 of 10 students from across the country
chosen to participate in the White House Tech Inclusion Summit where they spoke about their computer science student experiences. Cassidy participated in the British Airways UnGrounded Hackathon, a competition
that took place on a plane from San Francisco to London. On the flight, Cassidy’s team won the competition,
and as a result, in September, 2013, she spoke at the United Nations about her progress with the project.
Currently, this past weekend she organized the International Women’s Hackathon in Washington D.C. After
graduation, she is moving to New York City to work for the mobile payments start-up, Venmo. She is the
recipient of many honors and has been a featured speaker at several events. She is delighted to share her
unique and inspiring perspective with her Aspirations Award peers!
Aspirations in Computing Award Honorees
Darartu Gamada
Sophomore at Breck School
State runner-up Darartu Gamada is in tenth grade at Breck School. Her academic
interests include calculus and statistics as well as physics. She is involved in Quiz
Bowl, where her team went to nationals in 2013. She also participates in Math
League and FIRST Robotics, and recently recruited a Science Bowl team. Furthermore, she applied and was accepted in the Advanced Science Research Program
at her school, where she had the opportunity to do full-time research at Augsburg
College in the summer of 2013. Darartu provided these remarks to Advance IT
Minnesota, “I have a sincere passion for technology, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to share about
my interests. I hope to be able to pursue further work in science that involves computing and technology.
I feel honored to be a runner-up for the state competition, and I am really excited for the opportunity to
attend the awards ceremony. I am truly looking forward to being able to spend time with other students
who share interests similar to my own.”
Tarissa Jackson
Senior at Burnsville Senior High School
2014 National runner-up and 2013 State award winner Tarissa Jackson attends
Burnsville Senior High School and resides in Savage, Minnesota. She is actively
seeking different opportunities for computer science and programming. Over the
past few years, her participation in AP Computer Science, Project Lead the Way,
and Introduction to Programming have deepened have IT knowledge and her
career interests. Tarissa is also involved in different after school activities such as
Gaming Club and Technology Club, which involves a-great-deal of hands-on coding, team work, and leadership skills development. She is also an active participant on the FIRST Robotics
Competition (FRC) Team 3184, Blaze Robotics, where through her efforts, she was promoted to the roles of
team captain and lead programmer. After graduation, she desires to attend Iowa State University where she
intends to pursue a bachelor’s degree in software engineering. From events like the Microsoft DigiGirlz and
Technovation’s App Inventor, Tarissa developed her skills with computing and programming Android apps. As
a 2013 aspirations award winner, she shadowed tech professionals from Great Clips and Best Buy learning
about their IT departments and how different businesses used their technology to make their companies
successful. Contributions made by Tarissa in her community include development on a website called the
Burnsville Yellow Ribbon which promotes benefits for veterans. She is a role model for young girls who are
interested in technology. Her amazing brainstorming and creative logic skills also enable her to succeed in
whichever task she handles.
Julia Joern
Senior at Breck School
State runner-up Julia Joern is a senior at Breck School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Engineering and robotics classes and participating in FIRST Robotics sparked
her interest in computing and technology, eventually leading her to become a
member of Breck’s Advanced Science Research Team. She spent the summer after
her junior year researching how to automate a solar-powered hydronics system,
a relatively unexplored and eco-friendly alternative to residential climate control.
She researched how to automate these systems by designing, programming, and
building a network of microcontrollers and environmental sensors that could respond to conditions in the
home and outside the home and determine where to distribute heat. She is a captain of two sports teams;
swimming and lacrosse, participates on the Nordic ski team, dedicates time to tutoring in math and
science, volunteers at a local childcare facility, and is a certified scuba diver. Julia will be attending
Columbia University in the City of New York, as an engineering student, in the fall of 2014.
Katrina Kerrick
Senior at Wayzata High School
State award winner Katrina Kerrick is in her final year at Wayzata High School. She
started her computer science education when she was in tenth grade, and quickly
advanced from HTML and CSS to Visual Basic.NET and Java. She likes to keep her
skills sharp by solving the programming problems on projecteuler.net by using Java
and node.js. Since she’s already completed all of her school’s software classes
except keyboarding, she’s taking Computer Technician classes so she can remain
well-rounded. She operates the slideshow most Sundays at her church, and has been
employed as the family technician whenever she visits family members or their friends. She is proficient with
the Unix terminal, which instantly made her unable to stand having Windows on her laptop. Almost as much as
programming, she enjoys pure mathematics (mostly calculus), and spends her free time tinkering with video
games and farming randomly generated numbers.
“Being involved with the Minnesota Aspirations in Computing
Award has inspired me to pursue a career path in software
engineering, and I thank you for your guidance.”
Tarissa Jackson, Burnsville Senior High School, 2013 and 2014 Award Winner
Christina Le
Senior at Eagan High School
State runner-up Christina Le is a senior at Eagan High School. She has always been
interested in creating things since she was a small child (including messes, much to her
parents’ disdain). This love took hold in FIRST Robotics and has stubbornly remained in
her life since the 6th grade when she participated in FIRST Lego League. She is
currently in charge of multiple things on her school’s FIRST Robotics Competition Team
2220, Blue Twilight but for simplicity’s sake she’s going with the fact that officially, she’s
the strategy lead. However, this does not cover all of her duties as overall graphics
designer, robot design adviser and silly face photographer. She was awarded as a Dean’s List Finalist at the North
Star FRC Regional. She credits this award to the all-girl FIRST team she mentors, The Green Girls, and her peer’s
ability to write a very kind essay. She attended the 2013 Grace Hopper Conference in Minneapolis, which further
influenced her to explore a technology career. In her free time she enjoys doing typography, being bad at video
games and being passionate at everything she does. She hopes to major in either mechanical engineering or
computer science with a minor in product design.
Maria Sanchez Lopez
Senior at St. Louis Park High School
State award winner Maria Sanchez Lopez resides and attends high school in
St. Louis Park, Minnesota. She is highly honored to be chosen to receive such a
prestigious award. Her interest in computing emerged her sophomore year during
a DigiGirlz event held by Microsoft. Becoming a DigiGirl for two years consecutively
brought out her passion and interest in the technology and computing field. During
the summer prior to her senior year she enrolled in a marvelous program, Genesys
Works (GW). GW opened many doors for her while teaching her professional workplace and IT skills. She currently interns at Cargill, working with SD-34-Process Application-Enhancements,
in the Tartan Service Delivery. She enjoys interpreting data to prepare and present it to her superiors.
She currently is a PSEO student attending Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Her many
technology education and networking opportunities such as being selected to participate in the Grace
Hopper Conference in Minneapolis, have strongly influenced her and has made her a more knowledgeable
young professional. The experiences have inspired her to pursue and earn a degree in Computer Science.
She enjoys computing and loves to serve as a role model for her community and family. Coming from a
first-generation high school and college student household has been a challenge but it’s a barrier she is
determined to overcome in order to become a successful professional in the IT field. Maria’s dream job
is to become the CEO of a large company and help people.
Ananya Mishra
Senior at Wayzata High School
2014 National runner-up and 2013 State award winner Ananya Mishra’s interest in
technology originally started with her love of computers and the film industry. She
first started programming in C++ in 9th grade and also learned Java through her
AP Computer Science class. Recently, Ananya has been interested in how a Database functions and has learned SQL. Ananya has been a 2012 and 2013 National
Qualifier for both the C++ Programming and Video Production Team events for the
Business Professionals of America Competition. She has also received international
recognition for her digital photography and videos. She was an exhibitor at the 2013 SNAPSHOT Teenagers
International Photographic Prize in Australia. She is also a Plural+ 2013 Youth Video Festival Semi-Finalist out
of 250+ videos from 70+ countries for creating a stop-motion animation video on the importance of diversity.
In the future, Ananya would like to major in either Computer Science or Management Information Systems
and become a software engineer. She will continue to direct films and aims to fulfill her dream of one day,
becoming an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
Erin Mitchell
Senior at Lakeville North High School
2014 State award winner and 2013 State runner-up Erin Mitchell is 17 years old and
a senior at Lakeville North High School. She’s receiving dual high school – college
credit by taking all of her classes this school year on campus at the University of
Minnesota – Twin Cities. This is her fourth year participating in FIRST and she has
participated in all three FIRST Robotics programs and is currently on both FTC and
FRC teams. During the 2012-2013 season of FTC, her team qualified for the World
Championships and was on the Winning Alliance, crowned World Champions with
one of the top robots in the world. Erin loves giving back to her community and has already contributed 400
volunteer hours this school year, from mentoring and coaching FIRST teams to running FIRST tournaments
as the youngest tournament director in the state. Her passion really lies in seeing what the teams and kids
she works with can learn as it gives her insight into what she’s already learned and can teach them. She’s
going to college next year for Materials Science and plans to double major in French as well.
“The experience of applying for this award has been life changing.
I almost didn’t apply because I didn’t think I was good enough.
This proved to me that I shouldn’t be afraid to try, and that I
should value every opportunity that I come across.”
Ananya Mishra, Wayzata High School, 2013 and 2014 Award Winner
Anna Mueller
Junior at Prior Lake High School
State runner-up Anna Mueller resides in Savage, Minnesota and is a junior at Prior
Lake High School. She began her computing career last year when she joined Prior
Lake’s robotics team, 2169 KING TeC. Anna became the programmer of her FTC team
and fell in love with programming. She has always been interested in math and logic.
This experience drove her to take AP Computer Science this school year. Anna hopes
to learn everything there is to know about programming and inspire younger girls to
try STEM. Her past community service opportunities with STEM include leading a
group of kids in a robot programming summer camp, working at STEM At The Fair, and teaching other students
during Computer Science Education Week. She also performs locally with a ballet company, is a member of
National Honor Society, and teaches third graders in Sunday school.
Annelies Odermann
Senior at Wayzata High School
Annelies is a 2014 National runner-up and State winner as well as a 2013 state
runner-up. In solving her family’s computer dilemmas for so many years, Annelies’s
initial curiosity has since developed into a passion for all things technical. Her
penchant for computers and knowledge has led her to multiple computing awards
though Business Professionals of America and participation in her local FRC team
as a web developer and programmer. Proficient in HTML, Javascript, CSS, Java, and
node.js, she also enjoys troubleshooting and installing Linux distributions on the
trash-picked computers that clutter the area under her desk. Most recently, Annelies spent last summer
enjoying an internship at one of the coolest tech companies known to humankind (Sport Ngin), and attended
the Grace Hopper Celebration in Computing last October at the Minneapolis Convention Center. For the
future, Annelies aspires to major in computer science or mathematics, with a possible minor in linguistics or
cognitive science, and plans to work somewhere with interesting people and enjoy lots and lots of coding.
“Because of this award, I am more confident in myself and my
abilities. I’m inspired to pursue a career in technology. My mind
has been opened to see that there are more places I can use my
passion for technology that just Google, Facebook, Twitter, and
the NSA/CIA.“ Annelies Odermann, Wayzata High School, 2013 and 2014 Award Winner
Erin Olson
Junior at East Grand Forks Senior High School
State runner-up Erin Olson attends East Grand Forks Senior High in northwestern
Minnesota. She is an active member of her school’s Jazz Band, Drum Line, Speech
Team, and Knowledge Bowl Team. Erin started programming in the 9th grade year
and fell in love with the creativity and logic that it required. She is a programmer
and web designer for her school’s FIRST Robotics Competition team. Every year,
Erin looks forward to creatively solving the challenges of the FIRST Competition. In
addition, Erin is the president of her local Business Professionals of America (BPA)
chapter. Through BPA, she competes in the events of Visual Basic and Java programming. Erin qualified
and competed at the National BPA conference during 9th and 10th grade and departs with her team for the
national competition following tonight’s award ceremony. Upon graduation, she aspires to go to college and
earn a degree in Computer Science.
Ariana Pooley
Junior at Wayzata High School
State runner-up Ariana Pooley of Plymouth, Minnesota is currently a junior at
Wayzata High School. She has always loved computers, but it wasn’t until she
took AP Computer Science as a sophomore that she realized how much she
enjoyed programming. Ariana is proud to be the founder and organizer of her
school’s programming group. The group actively encourages all students to explore
programming in a fun and friendly environment. She is also an active member
of her school’s FIRST Robotics programming team and is involved in Business
Professionals of America. Ariana’s interests in computing are varied. So far she has enjoyed writing
applications in Java, C++, web, and mobile apps targeting Android. After graduating, Ariana intends
to pursue a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics.
“Regarding how the [2013] award event made me feel, I liked connecting
with all the other FIRST girls and non-FIRST girls, hanging out and
talking about technology without having to worry that I will be judged
or excluded because I’m a sixteen year old girl who plays with legos
in her free time. I liked how this sparked that instant connection —
that no matter where we came from or what we’ve done we were all
there to be recognized for our achievements and we are all determined
to continue growing — this is nowhere near our stopping point.” Erin Mitchell, Lakeville North High School, 2013 and 2014 Award Winner
Preethiya Sekar
Senior at John Marshall High School
State winner Preethiya Sekar of Rochester, Minnesota has always had an
interest in technology. Her passion for computing began to blossom her
freshman year while participating in a computer programming class. She
enrolled in a basic computer programming program that taught her HTML,
CSS, JavaScript, MySQL, and PHP. Last year, she participated in the Black Data
Processing Associates (BDPA) High School Computer Competition in Washington,
D.C. and her team won first place out of sixteen other teams from around the nation. This year she is also taking the AP Computer Science course and learning Java, while being introduced
to some of the many opportunities available for women in the tech industry. She spent the past summer
taking a course at Carleton College in human genetics. The data she received was useless, until she created
a PHP program that helped her analyze the data. The course was a fun and enlightening experience which
deepened her passion for computing and inspired her to pursue a major in both genetics and computer
science when she attends college.
Amanda Sullivan
Senior at Fridley Senior High School
2014 National runner-up and State winner Amanda Sullivan resides and attends
high school in Fridley, Minnesota. Currently working at the Best Buy Teen Tech
Center in Minneapolis Central Library, Amanda has the opportunity to help other
teens with technology and artistic pursuits. Her current interests are in computer
programming, user interface, and CGI animation. Amanda began learning basic
code on www.codecademy.com which led to a deeper interest in computer
science. Her favorite aspects of technology are the everyday practicality and
artistic functions it provides. Blender, Corel Painter, and her trusty wacom bamboo splash are her weapons
of choice. In addition, she enjoys building sculptures and costumes out of LED’s and fiber optics. Amanda
currently attends Anoka Ramsey Community College as a PSEO student and will continue this summer.
Doing so, allows her the opportunity to take advantage of the $500 Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities (MnSCU) scholarship afforded State level winners. She has her sights set on transferring
into North Dakota State University to continue with her Computer Science education.
Aspirations in Computing Educator Award
Tika Kude
Teacher at Wayzata High School
Tika Kude has taught in the Wayzata Public School system for six years.
She graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from Montana State University,
and started her career as a Software Engineer for Honeywell. While at Honeywell
she earned a patent pertaining to Radar Altimeter Navigation systems.
In addition to working full time as a Software Engineer she worked part time
teaching computer science courses at DeLaSalle high school in Minneapolis, MN.
After nine years at Honeywell she switched into teaching full time and went to work for Wayzata High
School where she teaches Computer Science and Engineering courses. In addition to teaching she is also
an advisor for Business Professionals of America (BPA) and First Robotics. She is also the technical director
for the Technical Skills Attainment project for computer programming in the state of Minnesota.
She actively works with girls to get them involved in computer science by encouraging them to take
classes, and join after-school activities. She’s committed to being a positive role model, and hopes to
influence a student’s personal belief that each one has the capacity to learn, work hard and become an
accomplished technologist. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Software Engineering.
When she isn’t teaching she enjoys horseback riding and hiking with her Siberian husky.
Special Thanks to our Educator Endorsers
The following people provided support and endorsement to one or more of the selected award honorees.
On behalf of the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), the Minnesota Aspirations
in Computing Award Committee, the honorees and their families, we wish to acknowledge and express our
appreciation for their youth development support.
George Behnke Eagan High School
Julie Carlblom
John Marshall High School (Rochester)
Cindy Drahos
Burnsville Senior High School
Lois Fruen
Breck School
Tena Hanson
East Grand Forks High School
Tika Kude
Wayzata High School
Aaron Lundholm
Best Buy/Mpls. Central Library, Teen Tech Center
George Ochoa
Genesys Works
Holly Traub
Lakeville School District
Joel Volm
Prior Lake High School
Thank you Aspirations in Computing Award Sponsors
and Partners for your Generous Support!
Platinum Plus Level: The following sponsors contributed $2,000 or more in financial support or services.
Platinum Level: The following sponsors contributed $1,500 or more in financial support or services.
Gold Level: The following sponsors contributed $1,000 or more in financial support or services.
Silver Level: The following sponsors contributed $500 or more in financial support or services.
Tech ITOut!
MN
TM
Women Leading in Technology
Job Shadow Opportunities
We are grateful to Women Leading in Technology (WLiT) of the Minnesota High Tech Association
(MHTA) for recruiting the following one-day job shadow offers to occur between the upcoming months
of June-August. All the award recipients will be provided a detailed description of the various offers in
early May and interested participants will be guided through the shadowing process.
The following women and companies have offered to be job shadows:
Job Shadow
Mirna Ban Fitzloff
Jeannine Hensley
Cynthia Kelley
Valerie Lucas
Stephanie Lindemann
Emmaly Manchanthasouk
Denise Morelock
Shehla Mushtaq
Gena Petrella
Rajani Sohni
Staff
Staff
Staff
Julie Urban/staff
Pam Wright
Company/Organization
PeopleNet, Minnetonka
Mayo Clinic, Rochester
Mayo Clinic, Rochester
Mayo Clinic, Rochester
Marco, St. Louis Park
Land 0’Lakes, Shoreview
ESP-IT, Minneapolis
Technical Leader/Consultant, Minneapolis
Marco, St. Louis Park
Mayo Clinic, Rochester
Help/Systems, Eden Prairie
Lindquist and Vennum Law Firm, Minneapolis
The Nerdery, Bloomington
Symantec, Eagan
Digi International, Rochester
TM
Women Leading in Technology
GRAND PRIZE INTERNSHIP
Inspired by Help/System’s grand prize internship provided to a 2013 award
winner, Symantec is providing one of the award winners with a full-time, paid,
June-August Internship opportunity in Eagan, Minnesota. In early May, award
recipients will be provided detailed information to apply. Interviews will be
conducted and the grand prize valued at approximately $6,000 in summer job
earnings will be awarded by late May.
Your Future is Bright!
Congratulations Winners!
Twin Cities Chapter of the Association of Women in
Computing provides opportunities for professional
growth through networking and through programs
on technical and career-oriented topics.
www.awctc.org
Nerdery
Empower youth to change their world.
We’re working with governments and
nonprofits around the globe to create
opportunities for youth to make a real
impact for a better tomorrow.
Microsoft congratulates all Aspiration
Award participants and winners!
Join us: www.microsoft.com/YouthSpark
READY TO LET YOUR
BRILLIANCE SHINE?
Delivering intelligent information to decision makers around
the world requires a spectrum of ideas and insights from team
members around the world. We value the contributions of our
women technologists, who are developing solutions to shape the
knowledge economy every day. Opportunities await to let your
brilliance shine.
REUTERS/Ajay Verma
Scan and see.
Learn more at thomsonreuters.com
© 2013 Thomson Reuters W-311475/4-13
Thomson Reuters and the Kinesis logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters.
We salute your achievements,
appreciate your commitment
and share your love of technology.
Pearson VUE
Bloomington, Minnesota
PearsonVUE.com/careers
LAND O’LAKES, INC. IS PROUD TO SUPPORT
The Minnesota Aspirations in
Computing Award Recipients
Congrats Award Winners!
As a farmer-owned cooperative, Land O’Lakes, Inc.
works to improve agricultural productivity, to help
feed the world in an ethical and sustainable manner.
Each year, Land O’Lakes donates 2 percent of our
profits to organizations that improve the quality of
life – especially those that address hunger.
www.landolakesinc.com
NOT FINAL
We can’t wait to work
with the new kind of
IT Girl
IT Consulting & Direct Hire
www.esp.com
in IT TALENT
COLLEGE
EDUCATION
CONGRATULATIONS
2014 ASPIRATIONS FOR WOMEN
IN COMPUTING AWARD WINNERS!
A proud sponsor of the awards program, Maverick
Software Consulting supports your hard work, talent
and accomplishments in IT! We invite you to share
your talent and receive real-world experience when
you enter college. Maverick pairs talented students
like you with major corporations seeking software
programming and testing. Our unique program has a
100% job placement rate, with most college students
receiving job offers before graduating.
For more information, visit MaverickSoftware.com or
email MHebig@MaverickSoftware.com.
www.MaverickSoftware.com
REAL WORLD
IT SKILLS
UMSA
United in security leadership
facebook.com/UMSAorg
twitter.com/UMSAorg
www.UMSA-Security.org
UMSA is an alliance of security-related organizations. As a nonprofit,
UMSA serves business, government and education professionals
in the upper Midwest, collaborating with professional associations,
educators and industry-leading companies to provide professional
development opportunities that contribute to a stronger security
foundation for organizations.
UMSA is the proud host of the premier Secure360 Conference
conducted every year in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Our member and
affiliate organizations include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Advance IT Minnesota
ASIS Minnesota
Business Continuity Planners Association
Cloud Security Alliance
Information Systems Security Association
InfraGard Minnesota
MN ISACA
National Information Security Group
Open Web Application Security Project
Leading-edge technology.
70-foot-tall giants.
Our incredible IT team.
They know what it means to redefine the leading
edge, and what it means to be respected and
encouraged. Every day, our IT professionals
contribute to our company’s mission of Nourishing
Lives with some of the world’s most memorable
brands, alongside equally exceptional people.
The future of IT at General Mills? It looks even brighter.
Today you can join us and play an, ahem, giant role.
check us out at jobs.generalmills.com
Congratulations 2014 Award Winners!
CONGRATS!
We share your love of technology and drive to help
the world run a little better. And we couldn’t be
more excited to cheer you on in your achievements,
as you create new possibilities on the road ahead.
Learn more about how technology is transforming the transportation industry, and how you can
help shape the future at peoplenetonline.com.
Cargill is
proud to
sponsor The
Minnesota
Aspirations
in Computing
Award.
Cargill is committed to helping
people and organizations thrive.
www.cargill.com
© 2014 Cargill, Incorporated
Congratulations to:
Minnesota Aspirations for Women in Computing Award Winners
ViaWest is a proud sponsor
and congratulates these young women
on their outstanding achievements
in technology and leadership.
COLOCATION | CLOUD COMPUTING | MANAGED SERVICES
www.viawest.com
Congratulations
Winners!
As you continue to
challenge yourself
know that we are here
to help you succeed!
www.AdvanceITMN.org
www.ITdiscoverynetwork.org
Congratulations
to the 2014
award winners.
We’re looking out for
future Aspirations
Award Partners.
Your future
is bright!
A01942-0414
Visit
advanceitmn.org/aspirations-award
I CHOOSE
<to ensure>
INTEGRITY
WORK THAT MATTERS
As a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management
solutions, Symantec helps business and consumers secure and manage
their information. We’re able to do this through the varied backgrounds,
experiences and perspectives of the high achievers who choose to
work here. In turn, we provide them with an environment where their
uniqueness is valued and empowered.
When you choose to pursue a career with Symantec, you can be assured
of top-notch training and the non-stop stimulation of innovation.
Symantec Congratulates the Aspirations in
Computing Award Winners!
Discover the many reasons to choose a career at Symantec
when you visit us at:
www.symantec.com/careers
Special Thanks
Advance IT Minnesota, a Center of Excellence within the Minnesota State College and Universities (MnSCU)
system, and hosted by Metropolitan State University, is grateful to its numerous partners who contributed
financial and human resources, business services, professional expertise and other in-kind products and
services. We extend special thanks to the committee members noted on the back page.
• We are especially grateful to General Mills for their warm hospitality as the host business of the awards
ceremony. Thank you Sue Simonett, Devan Sayles and Cheri Quast for being champion supporters!
• ViaWest, welcome to Minnesota! Your generous financial contribution as a first-year sponsor is sincerely
appreciated. May you live long and prosper in the City of Chaska and the MSP region.
• Special thanks to the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) for their expertise,
national network/relationships and their visionary leadership. Your staff is amazing!
• Our sincere appreciation to Marty Hebig with Maverick Software Consulting for your generous time and
financial commitment, providing us with access to the exceptional public relations services provided by
Bellmont Partners and, a special thanks to Bellmont’s Shelli Lissick and Bridget Nelson Monroe for
contributing their social media savvy to the cause.
• Thank you Anna Grecco with Thomson Reuters for recruiting and chairing the award applications review
committee. These numerous ‘behind the scenes’ contributors examined and selected tonight’s award
recipients.
• Girls in Tech – Minneapolis Chapter, thank you for sharing the video talk-show talent of Shuvi Powers.
The interview material, along with the video capture of tonight’s program will be provided as a memento
to the award winners and families.
• Katie Bedney and the Twin Cities Chapter of the Association of Women in Computing, please accept
our deepest gratitude for collecting the sponsorship contributions and paying the bills. Furthermore, your
generous financial donation speaks volumes about your commitment to women’s advancement in the field
of technology and computing.
• Of greatest importance and appreciation, we thank our audience of sponsors, partners, parents, educators,
volunteers, invited guests and others for your show of support by attending tonight’s recognition event.
Minnesota Aspirations in Computing Award Committee Members
Denise Anderson, Unisys Corporation
Katie Bedney, Twin Cities Chapter of the Association of Women in Computing
Russell Fraenkel, Advance IT Minnesota
Anna Grecco, Thomson Reuters
Marty Hebig, Maverick Software Consulting
Kristin Krone, Maverick Software Consulting
Mona Phaff, Product Development Leader
Betsey Roush, Unisys Corporation
Devan Sayles, General Mills
Julie Urban, Symantec
Kris Wilmunen, Unisys Corporation
Karen Young, Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA)
Dear Award Winners:
Thank you for your inspiration. Having met you through the awards
process and having witnessed your passion for technology and service
to your community, it’s clear that the world is in good hands. We are
exceptionally proud of you! We leave you with this final message:
“There’s nothing more daring than showing up, putting
ourselves out there and letting ourselves be seen.”
Brené Brown, research professor at the University of Houston