Frequently Asked Questions

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

• Account Registration
• Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC Award)
• High School Students
• Educators
• Parents/Guardians
• NCWIT 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 NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing. Award recipients have exclusive access to opportunities, such as jobs and scholarships, from NCWIT 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
• Educator: select this option if you are an educator who is endorsing one or more student applications for the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing and/or applying for the NCWIT 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).
• Reviewer: select this option if you are volunteering to complete reviews for any of the Aspirations in Computing awards or programs, including the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award, the Collegiate Award, and AspireIT.

AiC Award

High School Students

• How do I apply for the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing? Follow the instructions in the Application Step-by-Step Guide to create an account and begin an application.
• When can I apply for the 2023 NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing? The 2023 application season opens at 12:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, September 1, 2022 and closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 27, 2022 (extended deadline).
• Who is eligible to apply? All women, genderqueer and nonbinary students in grades 9-12 are welcome to apply.
• When is the parent/guardian approval and educator endorsement deadline? Parent/guardian approval of, and educator endorsement of, an application is required by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 3, 2022. Parent/guardian approval is not required for applicants over 18 at the time of application submission.
  
• 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? If your parent or guardian does not have an email address, they may download and follow the fax instructions. You may also upload the signed forms to your dashboard.
• Who can endorse my application? The endorsement for the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing 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? For details on how your application will be scored, please review the Application Scoring Guide.
• 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.
  I am not a native English speaker, do you offer the application in French? Yes, you may complete the application in the portal in either French or English. There is no score benefit to complete the application in one language over the other. You may access the full application in French here. See Ressources en Français.
  
• I do not have internet access, can I submit the application offline? Yes, you may complete the application offline and submit to aichelp@ncwit.org or mail in the application. Please note all applications sent via mail must be postmarked no later than October 27, 2022 (extended deadline). 
• If I have applied in the past for the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing, 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 2023. The award ceremonies take place through May 2023.
• How do I nominate a teacher for the NCWIT 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? Applicants looking for guidance on essay writing can reference our writing resource and writing samples page.
• Is the Award for Aspirations in Computing for me? Yes! Find out why YOU should apply for the Award for Aspirations in Computing!
  
• More questions? Join us for a live Q&A session!
  

Educators

• How do I apply for the NCWIT 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 Award for AiC endorsement by November 3, 2022, educators can apply for the AiC Educator Award from their dashboard beginning on September 1, 2021 and no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, December 1, 2022. Check out the Educator Award Application Step-by-Step Guide for more details.
• 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.
• Learn more about the AiC Educator Award here.
• How do I endorse a student for the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing? 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? 
• The educator endorsement deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 3, 2022. 
• Please have all endorsements submitted by that date.
• 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? Join us for a live Q&A session!

Parents/Guardians

• How do I approve my child's participation? Please see the Approval Step-by-Step guide.
• 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, Spanish, and French. Please sign those documents and have your child/ward upload them to their profile.
• You may also fax the documents to NCWIT at 303-735-6606, attention to Aspirations Award Approvals. 
• Still stuck? Reach out to us at AiChelp@ncwit.org.
• What is the deadline to approve my child's registration? 
• The approval deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 3, 2022. 
• Please have all approvals submitted by that date.
• ​More questions? Join us for a live Q&A session!

NCWIT Collegiate Award

Application Help

• How do I apply for the NCWIT 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 NCWIT Collegiate Award? The application window begins on Thursday, December 1, 2022 and goes until Tuesday, January 24, 2023.
• How does my professor/manager submit the letter of recommendation? 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.
  
• Do I have to be present to win? Awardees are expected to participate in the NCWIT Collegiate Award Ceremony at the annual NCWIT Summit in May, but Award recipients are not required to be present to win. Acknowledgment of travel and affirmation of acceptance at time of Award notification is required.
• More questions? Join us for a live Q&A session!

Eligibility Help

• Are there any age requirements? To be eligible for the 2023 NCWIT Collegiate Award, a student MUST be 18 or older by May 1, 2023.
• Is there a parent/guardian approval process? Any qualifying college student (must have graduated high school/earned a GED) over the age of 17 may register for an AiC 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.
• I graduate mid-year in December 2022, instead of May 2023, am I eligible to apply? Yes, if you graduate mid-year, you are eligible to apply for the 2022 NCWIT Collegiate Award.
• If I have already won an NCWIT 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? The recommendation deadline is Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
• 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.