Monday, August 18, 2014

Cincinnati Students Earn $15,625 in STEM Scholarships at BDPA Conference

BDPA Cincinnati chapter, led by chapter president Dalric Webb (GE), sent a contingent of seven high school and college students to the 36th annual BDPA Technology Conference earlier this month in Indianapolis. Those students participated in a variety of STEM-based competitions that including a high school computer competition (HSCC), IT showcase and mobile application showcase. These young people came home from the conference with $15,625 in college scholarships!

The chapter trained 14 students at Cincinnati State Technical College in a computer camp that met for 4-5 hours each Saturday for the first six months of the year.  The computer camp was led by volunteer instructors Deborah Prince (xpedx) and Frank Hill (Hiltronics Computer Associates).

L-R: Dalric Webb, Yaw Asante, Jon Carr, Wayne Hicks,
Austin Murph, Deborah Prince, Hasani Harrigan, Frank Hill
Four high school students were selected to compete as part of the chapter's national HSCC team in a comprehensive 3-part competition (oral, written and 7-hour coding).  The The four HSCC students are: Yaw Asante (Walnut Hills High School), Jon Carr (St. Xavier High School), Hasani Harrigan (Seven Hills High School) and Austin Murph (Seven Hills High School). These four students earned a 5th place finish (out of 46 eligible teams) during two days of the competition. Each of these students earned a $500 Jesse Bemley Scholarship as a result of their high performance.

Hasani Harrigan added to his college scholarship booty by earning a $3,125 college scholarship from Oracle. The Oracle Corporation Scholarship goes to student members pursuing careers in engineering, computer and information science, computer engineering or mathematics. Hasani is a very deserving young man who has been engaged in STEM-training from BDPA over the past three years.

Dylan Gunn is a college student member who left Cincinnati to attend North Carolina A&T University. Dylan won a $5,000 Eli Lilly Scholarship for BDPA Students. The scholarship recognizes outstanding minority students, with an interest in information technology, who make significant contributions to society. Applicants must excel academically, show exceptional leadership potential, and make an impact on their communities through service to others.

Another remarkable talent who shined brightly during this annual technology conference was Itobore Odje (University of Cincinnati). Itobore participated in the 1st annual BDPA Mobile Application Showcase and came away with the silver medal as well as a $5,500 college scholarship funded by State Farm.

BDPA plans to honor each of these students ... including BDPA IT Showcase participant Brian Pulliam (Sinclair Community College) ... at its 18th annual BDPA Education Banquet on Sunday, October 4, 2014 at Receptions in Fairfield, Ohio. We encourage you to join us for this wonderful event in which we have a chance to celebrate the positive accomplishments of students and volunteers in our community!

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