The National Center for Women & Information Technology handed out Aspiration Applications to only twenty girls in Northern California and none other than a Bear River student won the award.

Senior Coral McLaughlin talked about winning the NCWIT award.  

“For computer science, we filled out a scholarship application form,” she explained. “It was fun and I learned a lot. I was really excited and surprised. I didn’t think I was going to win.”

Kaylee Bohrer, a junior, talked about the NCWIT program.

“So the NCWIT is the Northern California Woman in Technology Program,” she said. “They have an Aspirations Application which they give to twenty two girls in Northern California who are enthusiastic about technology, and so all the girls in computer science applied for that award.”

Bohrer also talked about McLaughlin winning the award.

“Coral Ann McLaughlin got Honorable Mention and I don’t think anyone else from the school did,” she said. “Coral got the award, so she gets scholarship opportunities now and she has internship opportunities and just a whole bunch of stuff.”

“I mean, of course I would’ve wanted to get it,” Bohrer confessed. “But I’m really proud of Coral for getting it and I think it’s going to be really good for her considering she’s going to college, and I’m not. I think the right person got the award, definitely.”

Liam Hayes, a senior, talked about the school and McLaughlin getting the recognition she rightfully deserved.

“I feel that it’s a good thing that she is being recognized,” he said. “What I think about it is that it’s good for the Computer Science department and the school to gain this kind of recognition, and that it was a deserved award.”  

Jason Bohrer, Bear River’s Computer Science teacher, talked about McLaughlin’s big win.

“You know it’s super cool cause she wasn’t even really supposed to be in that class,” he commented. “I kinda talked her into staying so I think it’s cool that she’s being recognized for being the only senior girl in Bear River’s AP Computer Science Principles class.”

“Basically it’s the the National Center for Women & Information Technology,” Mr. Bohrer explained. “Every year they have an award called Aspirations in computing and they honor woman for what they do with technology. Taking Computer Science classes or being a part of the Robotics club, things like that. There are national award winners and then there are affiliate award winners so we are in the Northern California Region and Coral’s one of the 22 girls being recognized in the entire Northern California Region.”

Mr. Bohrer described exactly what the competition was about.

“It’s an application process and I had all of the women in class apply,” he said. “There’s six of them that applied. They fill out-answer questions about themselves like: why did you take this class, what are your plans with computers and technology in the future, and are you interested in it when you go to college? … (We) also do a little write up of why they should be considered, and then somebody somewhere goes through all that stuff and decides who wins.”

“I was just hoping that somebody in the class won since I made them all fill it out,” Mr. Bohrer said. “Anybody winning is a win.”