Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

EN ESPAÑOL ​


Questions? Below you will find answers to some common questions related to the following topics:

  • Account Registration
  • Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Community
  • Aspirations in Computing High School Award
    • High School Students
    • Educators
    • Parents/Guardians
  • Aspirations in Computing Collegiate Award
    • Application Help
    • Eligibility Help
    • For Professors/Managers

Account Registration

  • Which account type should I choose?
    • High School Student: Select this option if you are 13 or older, in grades 9 through 12, and applying for the Aspirations in Computing High School Award. You can also join the AiC Community from this account type. Award recipients automatically join the AiC Community if they are not already members.
    • College Student: Select this option if you are a college student and would like to join the AiC Community or want to apply for the Collegiate Award.
    • AiC Community Member: Select this option if you want to join the AiC Community. From this option, you will be prompted to indicate the pathway through which you wish to join: High School, College/Graduate, or TECHNOLOchica.
    • Educator: Select this option if you are an educator who is endorsing one or more student applications for the Aspirations in Computing High School Award and/or applying for the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award.
    • Affiliate Team Member: Select this option if you are a team member of an Aspirations Affiliate Community and will be helping with the Aspirations application season, local award ceremony, and other logistics.
    • Coordinator: Select this option if you manage an Aspirations Regional Affiliate team (requires administrator approval).
    • Award Reviewer: Select this option if you are volunteering to complete reviews for any of the Aspirations in Computing awards or programs, including the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award, the Collegiate Award, and Impact Award.

Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Community

  • Who is eligible to join the Community?
    • Women, genderqueer, or non-binary students in 9th-12th grade, or who are enrolled in a post-secondary institution (community college, college, or university) with a major or minor in a computing or engineering discipline are eligible to join the AiC Community. TECHNOLOchicas Ambassadors are also eligible to join the AiC Community. Learn more about joining the AiC Community.
  • How do I apply for an AiC Community Membership?
    • ​Membership applications are required of all 9-12th grade students, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as TECHNOLOchicas. Start your application by registering for an AiC Community Member account on aspirations.org. During the application process you will indicate which pathway you wish to join through: High School, College/Graduate, or TECHNOLOchica. Begin and submit the corresponding AiC Community membership application. If you are under the age of 18, you will also need parent/guardian consent to join the AiC Community. The AiC Community membership application is open year-round. Membership applications are reviewed continuously. Follow the instructions on the Join the Community Step-by-Step Guide for more information. 
    • If you have any questions or concerns, please email aiccommunity@ncwit.org.

Aspirations in Computing Awards

High School Students

  • How do I apply for the Aspirations in Computing High School Award? 
  • When can I apply for the Aspirations in Computing High School Award? 
  • When are applications for the Aspirations in Computing High School Award due?
  • Who is eligible to apply? 
    • All women, genderqueer and nonbinary students in grades 9-12 who have not previously been selected as a National Winner are welcome to apply.
  • When is the parent/guardian approval and educator endorsement deadline? 
  • How does my parent/guardian approve my participation in the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing program? 
    • When you create your account you can "Request Consent" on your dashboard. You can then enter your parent/guardian information and they are notified via email to approve your participation. Have your parent/guardian follow the Approval Step-by-Step guide to complete the approval process. You may resend the approval e-mail to your parent/guardian from your dashboard.
  • What if my parent/guardian does not have an email address? 
  • Who can endorse my application? 
    • The endorsement for the Aspirations in Computing High School Award can be completed by a formal or informal educator (e.g., teacher, counselor, mentor, coach, professor, supervisor, etc.). The endorser is not restricted only to your CS teacher(s); it can be anyone who is familiar with your computing experience, achievements, and interests. If you are unsure if your endorser qualifies, please contact us at aichelp@ncwit.org, or use the support widget.
  • How does my educator endorse my application? 
    • Upon submitting your application, your educator will receive an e-mail asking them to complete an endorsement for your application. Educators are required to have an account in order to complete an endorsement. Have your educator follow the Endorsement Step-by-Step guide to complete the endorsement. You may resend the endorsement e-mail from your dashboard after you have submitted your application. Be sure to send the educator endorsement request to the email address the educator uses for their aspirations.org account. An endorsement is not required for your application to be considered for an award, but it is highly encouraged.
  • How will my application be scored? 
  • Can I submit further information to support my application? 
    • Yes, there is an optional space in the application to provide links to further information such as a personal website or project portfolio. However, once you have submitted your application, no new information can be added.
  • I am not a native English speaker, do you offer the application in Spanish? 
    • Yes! In the portal, the essay questions on the application are provided both in English and Spanish. You may complete the application in the language of your choice, there is no "score benefit" to complete the application in one language over the other - please respond in the language you are most comfortable. You may access the full application in Spanish here, but please complete the application in the portal using the full translation and step-by-step application guide to help you. See Recursos en Español.
  • If I have applied in the past for the Aspirations in Computing High School Award, can I apply again? 
    • Applicants may reapply each year; however, National Award winners are not eligible to win again. Regional Affiliate Award programs allow repeat recipients at their own discretion.
  • When will I be notified of the results of my application? 
    • Notifications for the National Award are sent out in January and notifications for the Regional Affiliate Award are sent by the end of February. Award recipients will be notified of ceremony details by the Regional Affiliate Coordinator. The award ceremonies take place in the spring after selections are made (typically March through June).
  • How do I nominate a teacher for the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award? 
    • We do not have formal nominations, but please fill out our form where you can encourage your teacher to apply for the award. 
  • Where can I find writing resources to help me complete my application essays? 
  • More questions? 
    • Email aichelp@ncwit.org. 

Educators

  • How do I apply for the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award?
    • First, create or update an aspirations.org account here.
    • Second, complete an endorsement of a student applicant. You will receive an email with a link when they have submitted their application.
    • After completing a student’s Aspirations in Computing High School Award endorsement, educators can apply for the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award from their dashboard. Check out the Educator Award Application Step-by-Step Guide for more details.
    • For more information on this year's application dates and deadlines view the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award page.
    • National Educator Award and Regional Affiliate Award applications will be completed as one combined application with the same application dates. Educators who are eligible for the National Educator Award will select the award(s) for which they want to be considered.
  • How do I endorse a student for the Aspirations in Computing High School Award? 
    • Please see the Endorsement Step-by-Step guide to complete an endorsement. Please note that there is a 250 word limit for the endorsement.
  • I didn't receive my endorsement e-mail for an application, can you resend it? 
    • Each student who submits an application has the ability to resend the endorsement e-mail from their dashboard.
      • Please have that student log in and follow the on-screen instructions from their dashboard. 
      • Also check that the address the student is sending to is the email address you use for your aspirations.org account.
    • Please note: many e-mail addresses from public education institutions, such as those ending in .k12.us, block e-mails from aspirations.org. Have your student use a different e-mail address for you if you continue to not receive e-mails from aspirations.org.
  • What is the deadline for me to endorse my students? 
  • I have a student who I would like to nominate for the award. How do I do that? 
    • We do not have formal nominations, but please use our form where you can encourage your student to apply for the award. Once your student has applied, they will select an educator endorser, and you will be able to add your comments about the student at that time.
  • More questions? 
    • Email aichelp@ncwit.org 

Parents/Guardians

  • How do I approve my child's participation? 
  • I didn't receive my approval e-mail, can you resend it? 
    • Each student who creates an account has the ability to resend the approval e-mail from their dashboard.
      • Please have your child/ward log in and follow the on-screen instructions from their dashboard.
    • If you continue to not receive the approval e-mails, your child/ward may download the approval documents in English and Spanish. Please sign those documents and have your child/ward email a scan or photo of the document.
    • Still stuck? Reach out to us at aichelp@ncwit.org.
  • What is the deadline to approve my child's registration? 
  • ​More questions? 
    • Email aichelp@ncwit.org

Aspirations in Computing Collegiate Award

Application Help

  • How do I apply for the Aspirations in Computing Collegiate Award? 
    • Follow the instructions in the Application Guide to update your profile or register for an Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Community membership and begin an application.
  • When can I apply for the Aspirations in Computing Collegiate Award? 
  • How does my professor/manager submit the endorsement? 
    • Upon saving or submitting your application, your professor/manager receives an email asking them to complete an endorsement form for your application.
  • Can I submit further information to support my application? 
    • Unfortunately, we cannot accept supporting materials for applications other than what is required unless you are selected as a Finalist.
  • More questions? 
    • Email aichelp@ncwit.org

Eligibility Help

  • Are there any age requirements? 
  • Is there a parent/guardian approval process? 
    • Any qualifying college student (must have graduated high school/earned a GED) over the age of 18 may register for an Aspirations in Computing Community membership without parent/guardian approval. Any qualifying college student (must have graduated high school/earned a GED) under the age of 18 may register for an AiC Community membership with parent/guardian approval.
  • Who is eligible to apply? 
    • All women, genderqueer and nonbinary individuals are welcome to apply.
  • If I have already won an Aspirations in Computing Collegiate Award, may I apply again? 
    • Previous Collegiate Award Winners are not eligible, but Collegiate Award Honorable Mentions are welcome and encouraged to apply.

For Professors/Managers

  • How do I complete the recommendation for my student's application? 
    • Click on the link you received in your recommendation email. You will be taken to a form where you will fill in your information and complete the recommendation. Once you submit the recommendation, your endorsement/recommendation will be complete.
  • I didn't receive my recommendation email for an application, can you resend it? 
    • Please email aichelp@ncwit.org if you did not receive your recommendation email. Please note: many email addresses from public education institutions, such as those ending in .k12.us, block emails from college.aspirations.org. Using a different email address may allow the recommendation email through spam filters.
  • What is the deadline to submit the recommendation? 
  • I have a student I would like to nominate for the Award, how do I do that? 
    • We do not have nominations, but we do have a form where you can encourage a student to apply for the Award. Once your student has applied, they select someone to write an endorsement and/or recommendation for them.
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