Hampton Bays High School has earned the College Board’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in Advanced Placement computer science classes during the 2023-24 school year. The school is one of 14 on Long Island and one of 1,153 nationwide to earn the award.

The Hampton Bays AP Computer Science course, taught by Christina Facini, aims to train students on how computers and the internet work. The class includes lessons on internet safety and programming.

“I would love to see more women in science fields,” said Facini.

Seniors Nicole Scourakis and Yusabeth Contreras, who both took AP Computer Science, said that they too would like to see more women in the field.

“Women bring a unique perspective to technology,” said Contreras. “We need more of us in the field that has been dominated by men.” Contreras believes that what she learned in the class will help her succeed in college, where she plans to study chemical engineering.

Scourakis agreed and said she took the course to gain a better understanding of robotics, an area of interest for her. “The class helped me in my student life and personal life,” she said. She plans to study marine engineering in college.

Both students also gained college credit by taking the class.

Date Added: 3/17/2025