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Annual Luncheon

Grace Hopper Award

Seattle Girls' School Annual Grace Hopper Award

Who was Rear Admiral Grace Hopper?

Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (1906–1992), was a mathematician, computer scientist, systems designer, and programmer. Her groundbreaking work as a mathematician and computer scientist led to the development of the computer language COBOL. She is more famously known as the ‘mother of the computer’ and was the first female Admiral in the US Navy. With the tremendous spirit of RADM Hopper at heart, we celebrate women* who have excelled remarkably in their field.

What is SGS's Annual Grace Hopper Award?

SGS's Annual Grace Hopper Award honors women*, like RADM Hopper, who provide SGS students with positive role models. We aim to honor a visionary Northwest woman who is not only a leader in their community, but exemplifies mentorship excellence, having made an outstanding commitment to creating pathways and encouraging other women* to become leaders in their own communities. 

*This award recognizes any woman regardless of their gender assigned at birth.

2025 Grace Hopper Award Recipient

We are proud to announce our 2025 Grace Hopper Awardee: Merrill Keating!
Merrill Keating is a dynamic 20-year-old advocate for gender equality, youth leadership, and STEM education who has dedicated her life to making the world a better place for all.

Recently selected by USA Today as a 2024 Woman of the Year, and Bainbridge Community Foundation’s “2024 Outstanding Young Philanthropist”, Merrill is the founder of Girls Ignited and The Power of 100 Girls. Keating also hosted Changemakers Summit in March 2022, showcasing female founders, entrepreneurs, activists, and those in the STEM field, who are 25 years old or younger. 

Merrill’s global impact extends through her participation in UN Women’s “Generation Equality Forum” where she was part of a global youth takeover of the United Nations to co-create solutions to global challenges. She was also a 2023 and 2024 World Bank Group Youth Summit Delegate. She was the 2020 Women in Science Excel (WISE) Scholar, National Center for Women & Information Technology’s “Aspirations in Computing” state winner, a NASA Space Grant Scholar who worked on insect robotics in space, has been featured in 1 Million Women In STEM, Girl Museum, CreateHer Collective, and Geekwire's Geek of the Month. 

One of approximately forty 10th-graders around the world to be accepted into UW Academy, Merrill left high school after her sophomore year and became a freshman in college at the age of 15. She is a Mechanical Engineering major completing her final year, and relentless about paving a way for others. Keating is a black belt in Mixed Martial Arts, played violin, piano, and alto saxophone, and speaks Mandarin.

Join us in congratulating Merrill, our 2025 Grace Hopper Awardee, at our 23nd Annual Luncheon!


Previous Grace Hopper Award Recipients

Outstanding Achievement

List of 19 items.

Exemplary Leadership

List of 17 items.

Seattle Girls' School

Located in the Central District, Seattle Girls' School is an independent school for girls and gender nonconforming students in grades 5-8. Our mission is to inspire and develop courageous leaders who think independently, work collaboratively, learn joyfully, and champion change.
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