LH students recognized for achievements

Two Lake Hamilton High School students recently received awards for computing and technology from the University of Arkansas.

Zoie Keys, 10th-grader, and Christine Muoghalu, 11th-grader, both received Arkansas Affiliate Aspirations in Computing awards from the Information Technology Research Institute at the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

A news release said the awards “recognize young women in high school who have demonstrated interest and achievements in computing, leadership, high academic achievements and plans for a postsecondary education.”

The Award for Aspirations in Computing is a program of the National Center for Women & Information Technology, a coalition of more than 650 universities, corporations and organizations dedicated to increasing the meaningful participation

of women in computing, the release said.

“The AiC Award is given to young women all over the U.S. and it’s to give recognition to all their accomplishments and what they want to accomplish,” Keys told The Sentinel-Record. “The award is important to me because it gave me something to work towards and it gave me a little bit of reassurance about everything I’ve done in computer science.”

Keys was also recognized with a National Honorable Mention from the NCWIT. She said she hopes to pursue a career in computer science.

“I hope to in the future join the workforce as a video game designer or at least something dealing with computer science,” Keys said. “I also want to eventually encourage others to pursue their interest in computer science as there are a lot of great opportunities in the field.”

Karme Turner, computer science teacher for Lake Hamilton, said these honors will provide both girls an advantage in the future.

“I’m so very proud of their efforts in computer science,” Turner said. “Their hard work and diligence is paying off. Their determination will serve them well in their future careers. These girls’ early accomplishments and involvement in computer science will provide an advantage for their future endeavors.”