We want to spark a fire within her. We want her to see that technology is a tool to get her ideas out to the world and that she can make the world more beautiful, healthier, safer and even more peaceful. We want her to know that there is a community that will support her and that the world is in dire need of her voice, her thinking, her innovations.
Technovation[MN] is pleased to announce the 2021 Spark Scholarship award winners. Spark Scholarships are offered to middle school and high school students who are alumni of the Technovation[MN] program. These alumni shared their past experiences and future aspirations as technologists and entrepreneurs and were awarded a scholarship to support them in their pursuit of STEM related experiences, training, and equipment. This is the third year Technovation[MN] has awarded these scholarships.
In addition, this year, we honored two girls with special awards, the Rebecca Schatz Scholarship and the new Spark Spirit Scholarship.
Rebecca Schatz was an inspiration to thousands of Minnesota youth through her work as founder of Code Savvy and The Works Museum. She believed strongly in enabling young people to explore engineering, science and coding with hands-on experiences, using their imaginations then turning their ideas into real-world applications for digital devices. Rebecca’s skills not only involved building systems but also engaging others, young and old, to participate in the process. We honor her memory and vision with the Rebecca Schatz Scholarship. This year’s winner s Alexandra Rolli. While the technology spark started with Technovation[MN], Alexandra has gone on to learn Java, Javascript, Lua, C#, robotics. She is a mentor to many through her work at Code Ninjas and is passionate about inspiring other girls to pursue STEM. Congratulations Alexandra!
This year we added a new award, the Spark Spirit Scholarship. This award is given to a girl who embodies the spirit of Technovation[MN], continues to share her spark with others and embraces the mission of the Technovation[MN] program. The recipient, Nora Dixon, has participated in Technovation[MN] for six years. She has been a mentor, a student board member and often represents Technovation[MN] at many events like MinneDemo and the Minnesota Codes Educational Summit . Congratulations Nora!
In an incredibly difficult year full of long conference calls and social distancing; when ‘zoom’ became a noun adjective and verb; when our dependence on technology exponentially grew; and when our communities needed them more than ever; these girls showed exceptional perseverance. These young women have proven through their applications that they have the vision, passion and willpower to make it happen. Their interest in technology was sparked. They will make the world a better place. They believed they could, and they did. Congratulations!
JUNIOR DIVISION WINNERS:
 | Sreyoli Bhattacharya, Kellogg Middle School Rochester |
| “Just being in a project that I was so passionate about, made me take up a role in the team which I normally would never take and helped me grow out of my shell.” | |
 | Kairavi Chandra, Parkview Center School Roseville |
| “For me, engineering is a way to do something I love and also making a positive impact on others and the world.” | |
 | Lakeisha Gibson, Wayzata East Middle School Plymouth |
| “The aspiration that I have for making the world a better place through technology and entrepreneurship is to help people have better mental health.” | |
 | Aditi Kattamuri, Washington Elementary School Rochester |
| “My dream would be to make an app to help improve self confidence for children with low self esteem.” |
SENIOR DIVISION WINNERS:
 | Sarah Bulur, Century High School Rochester |
| “Technovation inspired me to be a leader among other girls, advocating for my ideas, and most importantly, making a lasting impact in my community.” | |
 | Elise Buzzell, Henry Sibley High School Mendota Heights |
| “Technovation has helped me … step out of my comfort zone regarding technology.” | |
 | Sydney Killilea, Totino-Grace High School Fridley |
| “I found my true potential in both technology and entrepreneurship, which has instilled in me the interest to continue to create and explore the field of software coding and entrepreneurship.” | |
 | Anushka Kollengode, Mayo High School Rochester |
| “Technovation[MN] has created a spark in me to be a connector of people’s need to solutions through technology” | |
 | Abigail Kunkle, Roseville Area High School Roseville |
| “I am excited to continue pursuing my career in technology at Purdue University College of Engineering … I want to show the world what I can do and become a role model for other girls interested in technology.” | |
 | Nora Dixon, Eagan High School Eagan SPIRIT AWARD |
| “The support that I gained from joining Technovation was so important to me that I can only hope that one day I can give that back to other girls who may be in my shoes.” | |
 | Alexandra Rolli, John Marshall High School Rochester REBECCA SCHATZ AWARD |
| “I learned that I loved the coding aspect of it. I wanted to learn more about how to do it and how it worked, … I want to pursue a degree in computer science.” |
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