Zion Emanuel Uses His Bemley Scholarship at Penn State University

Zion Emanuel * Bemley Scholar

Zion Emanuel earned a Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship for his final three years of eligibility as a member of the BDPA Washington DC chapter. He attended the Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George's Community College. His scholarship earnings included winning the entire High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship in 2014 and coming in second place in both 2015 and 2016. He plans to use his Bemley Scholarship at Penn State University where he seeks to complete a major in Information Science and Technology.

Zion is part of the National Honor Society which is a special group of high-level academic achievers. Zion is a responsible scholarly student who provides service to his community. He earned the Barack Obama Presidential Award and was part of his school's Dean's List in 2015 and 2016.


When asked to share his thoughts on being a Bemley scholar, Zion wrote,

"My name is Zion Emanuel and I am an incoming freshman at Penn State University majoring in information science and technology. Ever since my sophomore year in high school, BDPA has been an amazing part of my life as it showed me the joys of computer science and gave me the ability to spread the knowledge I gained to others.

2014 HSCC Champions from Washington DC

During my sophomore year in high school (2014), one of my classmates referred me to BDPA and I decided to join the Washington D.C. Chapter. I already had a little background in coding but I learned so much more about concepts like databases, java server pages, and styling. I made the competition team and we won first place in HSCC that year. During my junior year (2015), I helped new students in the Washington D.C. chapter learn how to code and the basics of programming. I made the competition team again in 2015 and 2016 and we placed second in HSCC.

BDPA has also influenced me outside of the Washington D.C. Chapter and HSCC. After my first year in BDPA I became so interested in the world of computer science that I began to research different programming languages to increase my arsenal. During my senior year in high school, I helped start a computer programming club at Prince Georges Community College where I helped teach college students the basics of coding.

BDPA has left a lasting impact on my life and will continue to influence me as I pursue a career as a software engineer in the future. Aside from my career, I also plan to increase the percentage of minorities in computer science. I want to spread the joy and excitement of coding and computer science to individuals who do not have the same opportunities as others. None of these achievements or goals would have been possible without the help of BDPA. I am very grateful for these opportunities and proud to be a member."

Zion is a remarkable young man. BDPA looks forward to following his career as he progresses through college and on into his career as a software engineer! Please note that the Bemley Scholarship Fund is made up of individual donations from people like yourself. Please take a moment to recognize young people like Zion with a secure online donation!