Paramus High student wins national award for women in technology

Paramus High student wins national award for women in technology
Danielle Park, a Paramus High School junior and computer scientist, holds her Award for Aspirations in Computing from the National Center for Women and Information Technology.

Publish a book: check. Contribute research to a Harvard-run journal: check. Launch a computer science camp for young people: check.

That’s not all Paramus High School junior Danielle Park accomplished this past year. She was crowned one of 40 national winners, the only one from New Jersey, in the National Center for Women and Information Technology’s Award for Aspirations in Computing. 

The awards recognize female, genderqueer or non-binary high school students across the U.S. who excel and wish to advance in technology and computing. Out of more than 3,500 applicants, the center chose 360 honorable mentions along with 40 national winners. Park received scholarship money, a MacBook and other devices she can use to continue her technological education. 

Park didn’t expect to win the national award the first time she applied, a feeling she attributed to the “imposter syndrome” women and gender-diverse people in STEM fields often face.