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Tarissa Jackson is a budding coder, app designer and now the winner of a statewide award honoring tech-savvy girls. The Burnsville High School junior will be one of just six students in the state to receive the first annual Minnesota Aspirations for Women in Computing Award. 

"Tarissa is an outstanding student who excels on major computer programming projects as well as daily assignments," said Cynthia Drahos, a business education teacher at Burnsville High School who endorsed Jackson for the award. "She also is very open to helping her fellow students in class when they have questions."

According to district officials, Jackson got an early start, taking web design and coding while at Eagle Ridge Junior High. Nowadays, she can disassemble—and reassemble—whole computers and spends her spare time designing, creating, and debugging web applications. 

Jackson will be honored in April at an event hosted by Unisys Corporation. In addition to the distinction itself, she will receive a $500 scholarship and other prizes.