BDPA lost a young legend on February 3, 2008 when Brandon T. Berry died much too soon. Brandon was born March 20, 1984 in Viscenza, Italy. He traveled all around the world. He recently graduated from Ohio State University with a Computer Science degree. He was working on a Master Degree at the time of his death.
Brandon's dream was to become an entrepreneur with computer sales and internet services business. In fact, he demonstrated his entrepreneurial skills with a business that he started in high school and continued while in college.
I served as BDPA Cincinnati chapter president in 1999-2001. I knew young Brandon throughout my 3-year team as chapter president. I first met him in 1999 while he was attending Cincinnati's Hughes High School. He served as president of the 'Future Educators of America' in high school. However, his love of information technology led him to the BDPA Cincinnati chapter computer camp that we created in 1999. His talents were self-evident during the computer camp. In fact, Brandon ended up being a member of the national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team from Cincinnati in both 1999 and 2000.
His teammates in 1999 were Tiara Bonner, Jarelle Marshall, Kelly Robinson and Calvin Shaw, III.
H
is teammates chose Brandon to be their captain at the 2000 national competition held in Washington DC. The team confidently called themselves 'Team CHAOS (Cincinnati Holds All Opposition Speechless)'. Brandon and his teammates (Raven Chambers, Jarelle Marshall, Terris Poole and Stephanie Ross) in 2000 brought home the silver medal in the national competition. It remains the highest level of success for BDPA Cincinnati in over 20 years. Brandon used the Bemley Scholarship that he won in 2000 towards his educational expenses at Ohio State University.Brandon loved C/C++ Programming and he came back in 2001 as a HSCC alumni to help coach the team that year. He served as a 'technical representative' for the Cincinnati HSCC team that traveled to the 2001 national competition held in Chicago.
Brandon Berry had an immeasurable impact on the members, supporters and sponsors of BDPA Cincinnati chapter. He is part of our history and his impact as a role model can never be underestimated.
You can help us celebrate his life by making a donation to the Brandon Berry Memorial Scholarship Fund!
3 comments:
Rest in Peace young warrior...
What a legacy Brandon left for both Cincinnati and our national body. BDPA does make a difference. Maybe other chapters will post and tell us about an outstanding youth in their midst?
Iya - Yes ... we would love to continue to honor the Future Faces of Technology on this blog. I hope others will see and respond to your query!
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