EPHS students win state, national Aspirations in Computing awards

Six Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) students have been honored with the 2024 Aspirations in Computing Awards by The National Center for Women & Information Technology and the Minnesota Technology Association.

The awards recognize exceptional technical prowess, leadership skills, and dedication to leveraging technology for positive social impact. The students were among 40 winners from across Minnesota celebrated at an evening awards banquet at the Metropolitan Ballroom in Golden Valley on April 19.

After submitting applications, awardees were selected for their aptitude and interest in information technology and computing, strong leadership ability, community involvement, good academic standing, and post-secondary education and career plans demonstrating a desire to grow their technology and professional skills.

Depending on the level of achievement, prizes include medals of honor, cash rewards, mentor matches, job shadow experiences, summer paid internships, and college scholarships.


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Minnesota students in grades 9-12 who identify as women, gender queer and non-binary students are invited to apply. To learn more, visit their website.

The 2024 EPHS honorees are:

National winner: Jasmine Garry
National honorable mention: Lalitha Gunturi
State winners: Sasha Allen and Sabreen Khanikar
State honorable mentions: Sophia Lin and Anjali Marella

Five additional EPHS students were selected as Rising Star Honorees and honored at a separate event: Ziwei Chen, Aradhana Choudhury, Sumaya Hussein, Melody Li, and Avanthikhashree Prabaharan.

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The full list of awardees can be viewed here.

Jessica Brent, a computer science and math teacher at EPHS, said, “The Aspirations in Computing awards celebrate students’ accomplishments and also open up opportunities through mentoring and internships. It’s a remarkable program, and I’m honored to celebrate our EPHS students.”

Brent has mentored most of these students throughout their time at EPHS, including as the advisor of the Computer Science Honor Society.

Brent said she was impressed by how these students have taken what they learned in the classroom and applied it not just to their own projects, but to helping advance computer science education for other students.

“These young women are learning well beyond the classroom walls,” she said. “From their capstone projects in the iOS App Development class to tutoring younger students for AP computer science exams, they are advancing their learning and giving back to the community.”