(New York, NY and Raleigh, NC) – July 15, 2021: Lenovo and NAF announced the 2021 Lenovo Scholar Network “Fan Favorite” mobile app honoree today at this year’s virtual NAF Next conference. The winning team was chosen out of five team finalists by online voters. NAF Next is NAF’s signature event that brings together education, business, and community leaders to network and share ideas for how to increase opportunities, grow partnerships, and improve learning experiences and outcomes for high school students nationwide.
The 2021 national Lenovo Scholar Network “Fan Favorite” winner is Destigmatizing Healthcare from Enloe High School, Academy of Health Sciences, in Raleigh, NC. This innovative app aims to provide students of diverse backgrounds with easy access to information on mental and sexual health resources. The team, comprised of Lydia Owens and Lindsay Templeton, will receive state-of-the-art technology, courtesy of Lenovo.
The mobile app competition is part of the Lenovo Scholar Network, a partnership that Lenovo and NAF created in 2014 to encourage greater interest in STEM subjects, among high school students in under-invested in communities, while enabling them with the entrepreneurial and technology skills needed to pursue careers in computer science, programming and engineering.
In its first year, 10 NAF IT academies were invited with a goal of reaching 250 students, surpassing that goal by serving more than 400 students nationwide. As the Lenovo Scholar Network prepares to enter its eighth year, it is expected to serve more than 6,000 NAF students across the country. In conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) App Inventor, a project within the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL), Lenovo Scholar Network students have the opportunity to use MIT App Inventor to develop Android mobile apps using Lenovo devices. NAF and MIT work together to provide technical assistance to teachers in the Lenovo Scholar Network and to develop support materials for teachers using MIT App Inventor.
This year’s Mobile App Development Competition included teams of students from NAF academies across the United States, who spent months developing applications that will be of service in their classrooms and communities. During a continued time of uncertainty – and needing to pivot to do their work differently – these young people demonstrated innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, as they adjusted to a second school year that was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to Destigmatizing Healthcare announced today, the other four winning app teams from the national competition who presented were:
- Mallard Creek High School, Academy of Engineering, Charlotte, NC
- A password management app that helps users avoid being hacked, by instantly generating and saving a secure and random password.
- South Dade Senior High School, Academy of Information Technology, Miami, FL
- A budgeting and finance app that allows young people to review their monthly spending, calculate a tip, and learn more about saving money and budgeting effectively.
- Clarence High School, Academy of Business and Finance, Clarence, NY
- An app designed to provide easy access to free tutoring to help alleviate the difficulties that come with transitioning to remote learning.
- Orosi High School, Academy of Engineering and Green Technology, Orosi, CA
- An app that provides students with crucial information in the event of an emergency at their high school.
Quotes:
“Lenovo is proud to partner with NAF to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders, who this year more than ever demonstrated creativity, critical-thinking skills, and perseverance,” said Matthew Zielinski, president of Lenovo International Sales Organization and a member of the NAF Board of Directors. “The Lenovo Scholar Network mobile app competition empowers students from diverse backgrounds to draw inspiration from real-world scenarios to solve problems and evoke change that will positively impact their local communities.”
Lisa Dughi, Chief Executive Officer, NAF
“Congratulations to our 2021 Lenovo Scholar Network “Fan Favorite” winning team and all of our students who participated in this year’s competition. Your dedication to the program, as well as your ability to adapt and continue to innovate in challenging times, is extremely inspiring! Thank you to Lenovo for your support and partnership and we look forward to continuing to provide these transformative experiences for NAF students.”
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About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$60 billion revenue Fortune Global 500 company serving customers in 180 markets around the world. Focused on a bold vision to deliver smarter technology for all, we are developing world-changing technologies that power (through devices and infrastructure) and empower (through solutions, services and software) millions of customers every day and together create a more inclusive, trustworthy and sustainable digital society for everyone, everywhere. To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.
About NAF
NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure that high school students are college, career, and future ready.
NAF works with high need communities to transform the high school experience through an educational design that includes industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals, culminating in a paid internship. NAF academies fit within and enhance school systems, allowing NAF to become an integral part of a plan for higher achievement at a low cost. NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. During the 2020-21 school year, over 117,000 students attended 619 NAF academies across 34 states, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. In 2020, NAF academies reported 99% of seniors graduated with 87% of graduates planning to go to college. For more information, please visit: https://naf.org/
Contacts
Media:
Lenovo
David Hamilton, (919) 908-5153
dhamilton1@lenovo.com
NAF
Courtney Savoia, (201) 407-8513