Highland Park’s Anika Fokken Earns Recognition from National Center for Women and Information Technology

Congratulations to Highland Park Senior High School’s Anika Fokken, who has earned a prestigious recognition from the National Center for Women and Information Technology.

Anika earned a Minnesota Aspirations in Computing Awards (MnAIC). Previously, she was named a 2025 Rising Star. Anika discovered her passion for computer programming through developing software for her FIRST Robotics team, where she engineered autonomous routines and implemented triangle interpolation for precise shooting accuracy. Alongside her strong interest in biological research and genetics, she has cultivated skills that align with her goal of pursuing computational biology. In the summer of 2025, she participated in the Harvard OpenBio Student Research Institute, where she developed a computational brain simulation model to study taste memory in fruit flies.

She is also committed to STEM outreach, volunteering through her robotics team to inspire younger students to explore engineering and technology.

Currently, Anika is developing an application that matches students with nursing programs for a local nonprofit as part of her IB Computer Science Higher Level Internal Assessment, combining technical expertise with meaningful community impact.

National and state review teams selected students from multiple high schools across Minnesota.  Since 2012 the program has impacted thousands of Minnesota students with 1,102 being selected as award honorees. Now in it’s 14th year, MnAiC offers year-round programs and activities to inspire and empower high school students in grades 9-12 to realize their computing-related education and career aspirations.