HSCC Testimonial: Bikram Sapkota (Cincinnati, 2011)

Bikram Sapkota joined BDPA Cincinnati chapter in 2011 as part of its Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. He participated in the chapter's computer camp and competed in the 2011 national BDPA High School Computer Competition championship here in Chicago.


He shared his testimonial on the experience with us:

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Most people gain skills from their education as a child. My situation was unique. My parents were Bhutanese. They were forced to leave their country because of ethnic cleansing. Our family was forced to move to Nepal, a landlocked country, where we settled for 17 years as refugees. We had few opportunities to develop our skills in various fields because our life was always in exile and in debt. We lived under United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) support while in Nepal.

My life as a refugee was not satisfying. I could never explore my interest in computer technology because my family couldn’t afford the money to do so. Fortunately, we were able to re-locate in the United States a few years ago. I am now at high school in Ohio and I am able to learn what it takes to be successful in computer technology world. Also, I want to be able to do something for the community and my new country in the future.

Many people would fear a move to a place where they have few acquaintances.
However, I am confident in my ability to make a valuable contribution because of my experiences in meeting new people in the past. I hope that my experiences in America will continue to be free from prejudice and premature judgments. I do my part by pulling together groups of people into leisure activities and outings that provide an incentive for people to learn about each other and be nice to each other.

I think that my best assets are my communication skills and various computer skills. I gained most of my computer skills from BDPA Cincinnati chapter when I participated in their 2011 computer camp. I plan to use many of the skills that BDPA taught me to eventually study interactive web multimedia when I go to college.

 My skills in multimedia, web design and teamwork improved during my time with BDPA. I was proud to be selected on the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team that represented Cincinnati in the 2012 national HSCC championship in Chicago. It was my first computer competition. It was a friendly environment and our coaches and judges cared about us at every step as we tried to find success. I had fun while in Chicago, but it was also very challenging.

I think that my BDPA experiences have also made me want to become an entrepreneur in the future. Entrepreneurs tend to demonstrate a driving ambition to succeed. I want to go college and setup my future so that I have choices. Mostly, I want to be a great person in the future.

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Bikram has a unique story ... however, it is a story that is shared by hundreds of young people every year who participate in BDPA programs around the nation. It is the reason that BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) works so hard to raise the money to increase the number of students engaged with BDPA chapters around the nation.

You can make a difference by donating to any of our BDPA scholarship programs. Share some BDPA-Love for Bikram and other HSCC alumni by replying to this message or making a donation or both!