A Jefferson High sophomore who did not fit into her first formal class in computers was honored Saturday as one of two Montanans awarded National Honorable Mention for her accomplishments and aspirations in computing and technology. Samantha DeMartin was recognized by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), NorthWestern Energy and Carroll college in a ceremony at the college along with the other National Honorable Mention awardee, a junior from Big Sky High. The ceremony included presentations by IT women from NorthWestern Energy, Northrop Grumman and Google.
The NCWiT Award for Aspirations in Computing was created to promote the computing aspirations of young women, introduce them to leadership opportunities in the field, and generate visibility for women’s participation in technology fields. Winners are acknowledged for their outstanding aptitude and interest in technology and computing, as well as leadership abilities, academic history, and plans for post-secondary education.
This year was the first time any Montanan has received the national-level recognition. A total of fourteen Montana high school women from eleven high schools were included as state honorees. DeMartin is the daughter of Nikki DeMartin of East Helena. The mother said her daughter began her interest in computers through gaming and advanced to writing code for computers. By the time the girl entered Jefferson High in the second semester of her freshman year last year, it was obvious her computing skills were far above those of classmates, JHS technology director Alan Smith said.
Placed into the required freshman computing class, DeMartin found nothing challenging, he said, so he took her under his wing and worked with her individually. Now she is helping him and is assisting other students, said Smith. To win the NCWIT recognition, DeMartin had to write an application and Smith wrote an endorsement for her.
The application packet was reviewed by experts in the field who agreed DeMartin deserved the award presented at Carroll College Saturday. The NCWIT works to encourage young women interested in technology, providing mentoring and scholarships as well as resources in addition to the awards. It also offers opportunities for the award winners to network with others interested in technology like themselves. Nationally the program sponsors include Apple, AT&T, Bank of America, Bloomberg, Google Hewlett Packard, Intel, Microsoft and other technology firms.
