Cathi, the IGNITE founder, and women from Microsoft, Cisco, T-Mobile, Seattle School District, University of Washington, Seattle Univeristy, Expedia, and The Boeing Corporation pictured along with Washington Senator Maria Cantwell.

More pictures from the event

IGNITE (Inspiring Girls Now In Technology Evolution), an innovative program connecting high school girls with professional women in technology careers, was the 2007 winner of the national “Programs and Practices that Work: Preparing Students for Nontraditional Careers” Award. IGNITE founder Cathi Rodgveller, an SPS nontraditional careers specialist, and technology industry leaders including Microsoft Women in IT, Cisco, T-Mobile, Seattle School District, University of Washington, and The Boeing Corporation, were recognized for their accomplishments at a congressional and media briefing on Capitol Hill July 19, 2007.

Presented annually, this award is the result of a search to identify local or state educational agencies across the country that have implemented effective programs for improving access and success of students pursuing careers nontraditional for their gender. The four organizations sponsoring this award are the Association of Career & Technical Education (ACTE), the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE), the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), and the National Association of State Directors of Career & Technical Education Consortium.

To be eligible, the agency or school district must show increased enrollment of students in nontraditional CTE programs and/or increased completion of such programs by students of the underrepresented gender. SPS had no trouble showing both. After only two years, IGNITE increased female enrollment in the Cisco Networking Academies by 35-80% in targeted Seattle high schools. Later, in 2005-2006, fully 50% of the students completing MOUS Certification were female. During a recent summer, 66% of the high school internship positions at Microsoft were filled by IGNITE girls.

About IGNITE
Since IGNITE began in 2000, more than 10,000 high school girls have participated in its programs, meeting women working in technology careers, listening to their stories, and becoming inspired to investigate new possibilities for their own futures. IGNITE leaders take the time and make the effort to recruit female speakers from widely diverse backgrounds so that every girl can personally identify with at least one presenter. And IGNITE doesn’t just inspire. It connects these girls to women who will answer their questions about how to prepare for the real world, guiding their choices of high school and college programs, encouraging them to attend college (even if that means working their way through), offering hands-on experience through job shadowing and internships, and mentoring them through the years of career preparation. Finally, IGNITE helps network high school graduates and young college women with women in industry, connecting them as adults to the women whose stories they listened to as teenagers.