Hajara-Yasmin Isa presented with the 2026 Fiddler Innovation Fellowship award. Credit: Holly Birch Photography, April 17, 2026.
Hajara-Yasmin Isa, a doctoral student in computer science at the Grainger College of Engineering, was awarded the 2026 Fiddler Innovation Fellowship by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at a ceremony with the Landuyt Center for Entrepreneurship (formerly the Technology Entrepreneur Center, pending approval from the Board of Trustees) on April 17.
The $10,000 fellowship is part of a $2 million endowment from Jerry Fiddler and Melissa Alden to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to support the Emerging Digital Research and Education in Arts Media Institute (eDream). Based at NCSA, the eDream Institute awards exceptional, creative, and interdisciplinary students and faculty who propose significant projects that address cultural and global challenges using art, science and technology.
Littafin Fasaha teaches computer science and programming in the Hausa language. The textbook, written in the native language, also uses culturally relevant examples to help students understand computer science concepts.
“Being selected for the Fiddler Innovation Fellowship is a significant milestone that validates our collective vision at the University of Illinois. This award recognizes the importance of shared, innovative progress and ensures the next wave of technological development is shaped by a commitment to building solutions together,” Isa said. “I am very passionate about advancements in technology, and this fellowship provides the momentum to advance Littafin Fasaha, transforming our integration of AI and design into a catalyst for real-world inclusion. It empowers us to bridge the gap between complex research and accessible technology, fostering a future where innovation is built by and for a global community.”
Isa is breaking down language barriers in technology education across West Africa by making instruction accessible to Hausa speakers by providing coding lessons, technical resources and computer science concepts in their native language.
“Accessibility in high-performance computing helps ensure the best and brightest researchers from across the globe have the necessary tools to innovate and change the world,” said NCSA Director R. Srikant. “Hajara-Yasmin’s work is motivating for our continued accessibility efforts here at NCSA, and we’re proud to highlight her inspiring endeavor by awarding her the Fiddler Innovation Fellowship thanks to Jerry Fiddler and Melissa Alden’s continued support of the Fiddler Innovation Endowment.”
“Isa stood out as a highly creative and driven person who, in addition to her graduate studies, works on reimagining how computer science education can be made accessible,” said NCSA Assistant Director for Research and Education Olena Kindratenko. “As the founder and CEO of Littafin Fasaha, she approaches the Hausa language as the interface for teaching computational and algorithmic thinking, applying a design‑led, interdisciplinary approach that blends interactive computing, language design and educational technology. Her textbook, ‘Ka’idoji da Dabarun Koding a Kwamfuta’ (Principles and Techniques of Coding Computers), currently in proof, provides an introduction to computational and algorithmic thinking and has the potential to educate millions across West Africa, where the Hausa language is spoken by over 50 million people.
“We are happy that this year’s Fiddler Innovation Fellowship award will help bring her inspirational work closer to wide adoption.
Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering student Kazuma Kobayashi, Grainger College of Engineering student Lauren Hyde and Carle Illinois College of Medicine student Christian Guerrero-Juarez were also finalists for the 2026 Fiddler Innovation Fellowship.
Check out the announcement from the Landuyt Center for Entrepreneurship and the Grainger College of Engineering for more on a full slate of student awards.
ABOUT NCSA
The National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides supercomputing, expertise and advanced digital resources for the nation’s science enterprise. At NCSA, University of Illinois faculty, staff, students and collaborators from around the globe use innovative resources to address research challenges for the benefit of science and society. NCSA has been assisting many of the world’s industry giants for over 35 years by bringing industry, researchers and students together to solve grand challenges at rapid speed and scale.