Wordless Wednesday: BDPA Atlanta Leaders Join BETF Executive Director (2007)

BDPA iRadio Show: May 14, 2013 (Khalia Braswell, Craig Brown and Derrick Brown)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is very proud to be the creator of the BDPA iRadio Show. You can listen to the archive version of the show using the widget shown in the right-hand sidebar of this blog. FREE download from the iTunes Store is also available for our listeners!

Listen to internet radio with BDPA on BlogTalkRadio

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The guests on the May 14th show:

Khalia Braswell - 2007 HSCC Alumni, BDPA Charlotte Chapter - Khalia competed in the 2007 national BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship as a member of the team trained by BDPA Charlotte chapter. Her team finished in 6th place. Khalia earned a Eli Lilly Scholarship for BDPA Students in 2008. She used that scholarship to help offset the costs for college studies at North Carolina State University (NCSU). She plans to graduate with a Computer Science degree in 2013. She can share some excellent insights in the impact that BDPA had on her college and career choices. It is worth noting that BDPA and Eli Lilly are accepting applications for the 2013 Eli Lilly Scholarship right now. Also, Khalia was recently featured for her work at NCSU. Her twitter handle is @KhaliaBraswell.

Dr. Craig Brown - Vice President, National BDPA - Dr. Craig Brown was elected to be National BDPA Vice President (2012-2013). He works with national president Monique Berry and the regional officers to ensure that BDPA is moving towards its vision. Dr. Brown has a 25 year career serving as an expert systems and database architect within leading technologies like Oracle, Oracle-PeopleSoft, SAP, IBM and Microsoft. His experiences are more particular to the Enterprise Resource Planning, Decision Support and Relational Database Management Systems technologies. He earned over 20 certifications within these technological areas and currently provides implementation and integration expertise along with a variety of other technological disciplines. He holds a BS in Computer Science as well as a Master's in Business and a Doctorate in Management Information Systems. He has over 1 million followers on Twitter and thousands of followers on his Facebook page. Dr. Brown should be able to share with our iRadio Show audience his vision for the future of BDPA. His twitter handle is @craigbrownphd.

Derrick Brown - President-Elect, BDPA Atlanta Chapter - Derrick Brown is the president-elect of the BDPA Atlanta chapter. As such, he has been part of the leadership team in Atlanta that has rocked the BDPA-nation over the past two years with its new programs, new energy and remarkable new results. Derrick is poised to take on the chapter presidency in 2014-2015. Our listeners will be intrigued to get the inside scoop on the magical journey of BDPA Atlanta chapter from one of its architects.. His twitter handle is @DSBrown3000.

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We hope you enjoy the insights and commentary on the show from each of these guests. Please take a moment to post a comment to let us know that you care!

Wordless Wednesday: 2007 BDPA Chapter of the Year (Philadelphia)

SOURCE: BDPA Foundation Flickr Photostream

Bemley Scholar Justin Wulf Seeks Computer Science Degree from Bethel University

Justin Wulf is a long-time BDPA Twin Cities chapter member with a powerful legacy in our national Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program. He is working towards his computer science degree at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Justin used his STEM experiences gained through BDPA to obtain an ongoing internship at Medtronic. Justin competed in national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships from 2007-2010. He earned a Jesse Bemley Scholarship from the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) as a result of high performance in the 2009 HSCC championship.

He recently shared the following testimonial with us:

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"I have been a member of the BDPA Twin Cities Chapter since 2005. At the time, I was only 13 years old and hardly knew anything about computers beyond using them to install video games, surf the Internet and type papers. My first couple years of being in the Summer BDPA Youth Technology Camp (YTC) were spent familiarizing myself with the hardware of an actual computer. It was the first time I ever took apart a working computer and put it back together in its functional state. I had also learned a bit about operating systems, computer networking and what really made computers tick. I felt like I knew everything I needed to know about computers after those first two summers in YTC, but when I entered high school, I learned that I was completely wrong.

Upon entering 9th grade, I was encouraged to continue attending BDPA classes throughout the year and was eventually offered a spot on the 2007 BDPA HSCC Team. I was introduced to the wonderful world of web development and computer programming. My curiosity and determination assisted me with understanding HTML and CSS languages used for designing websites. In addition to web design, our instructor Mark Holden taught us object-oriented programming in Visual Basic for more application-based programs. I had a little more trouble with making sense of object-oriented programming as it was complex and still so new to me. Something amazing happened to me that year. There was one moment in particular that I, as well as everyone else in the room, will always remember, is when computer programming all “clicked” for me. It was a Saturday afternoon, the classroom was silent, Mark was teaching us some confusing string concatenation techniques, and all of a sudden, my eyes widened, I sat completely straight up in my chair and I shouted, “I get it!” The other students on the team turned to me and smiled, along with Mark giving me a hardy chuckle and congratulating me. I will always thank back and remember that “click” every time I learn a new concept that I’ve been working hard at understanding.

From that point on, I was given the opportunity to compete in four National BDPA High School Computer Competition championships; Washington, D.C. in 2007, Atlanta, GA in 2008, Raleigh, NC in 2009 and Philadelphia, PA in 2010.

My most memorable year was in 2009 when our chapter rented a 15-passenger van and drove to Raleigh, North Carolina for the National BDPA Conference. Everyone on the team was focused and prepared to finally place top five in the High School Computer Competition. We anxiously waited for our names to be called in the award ceremony. We all held hands around our banquet table with our coordinators keeping their fingers crossed. Surprisingly, our chapter was called for 4th place and we all jumped and screamed simultaneously as if we all received the same electric shock in our circuit of linked limbs. It was a truly, inspiring year for me. It gave me the feeling that anything can be obtainable if you really put your mind to it.

My ambitious state of mind continued to develop over the years. Here I am now, a second year college student at Bethel University pursuing a Computer Science degree with a minor in Psychology. I have also acquired an internship at Medtronic, Inc., a Fortune 500 company and world leader in medical technology and pioneering therapies. In the span of about two years, I have worked closely with three different teams in Information Technology. BDPA has helped me reach new plateaus and opportunities from the experiences and lessons I’ve learned. I have decided to give back to the BDPA community by teaching students how to computer program in Java, C#, MySQL and ASP.NET and by training this year’s BDPA Twin Cities HSCC Team."

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BDPA is doing a wonderful job in providing STEM experiences to hundreds of K-12 students.  Please click here to show your support for our efforts!   Also, take a moment to POST A COMMENT for Justin!  You can follow Justin on Twitter -- @JustWulf

HSCC Testimonial: Frederick Watson, Jr. (BDPA Chattanooga, 2007-2009)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) has awarded more than $377,000 in college scholarships over the past 13 years. We are very proud of the hundreds of young people we helped get into college. These are the young people that BDPA sends out to win the future. Of course we can't do it without the assistance of our donors.

We heard from one of our Bemley Scholars this week. He wants to use his Bemley Scholarship to support his education at Middle Tennessee State University. Take a moment to read his testimonial:

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My name is Frederick Antonio Watson, Jr. I am a Business Management student at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. For three years, I participated in BDPA Chattanooga Chapter’s High School Computer Competition Program. In preparation for the National BDPA competition our team attended weekly computer training sessions, which also included problem solving, team building and project and time management. Our team represented Chattanooga and was one of the winning teams in the 2007 national HSCC championship.

The HSCC experience and exposure to this program has been very beneficial. As a team, we received mentoring from our instructors and established a bonding friendship; all of us from the 2008 team currently attend MTSU. I am grateful I was afforded the opportunity to participate in it; I gained computer skills that I used on my job as a high school CAD Operator to complete assignments and projects and I actually continue to use those acquired skills today.

Each year, I looked forward to attending the National BDPA Conference. I enjoyed the competitiveness of the competition, listening to the enlightening speakers, meeting so many different and unique people from all over the country, and observing the professionalism exemplified by the organization as a whole. I’m also very thankful for the doors BDPA opened for me and other youths and commends the organization on its outstanding student programs.

Thank You BDPA Chattanooga Chapter!

Take Five: Kai Dupé (BDPA Dallas)

Kai Dupé is a brother who has been advocating for Blacks in technology via his articles, blogs, presentations and online radio shows. Kai agreed to participate in our recurring 'Take Five' interview series.

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1. How did you get involved with BDPA? - I actually do not remember how I got involved with BDPA. I know that my first interaction with BDPA was via BDPA Dallas vice president of member services Donna Tyler. She sent out a request for speakers. She told me that she received my name from you (Wayne Hicks) as a result of my presentation done at the National Conference that year. I think that may have been 2007 when the conference was in Washington DC. Once I connected with BDPA and you that was it for me. BDPA for Life!
2. What do you see as the biggest benefit of BDPA membership? - In my mind the biggest benefit of BDPA is the community. One of the main challenges our people face when choosing a career in Information Technology whether it be in corporate America or on the college campus is isolation. As as software developer for over 25 years, I have always been the only Black software developer on the team and it has been no different on most of my corporate positions since college. This problems persists today. The ability to connect with a community of Black IT professionals, and take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and experience of those who have taken the same journey is is the biggest benefit in my opinion.
3. What future evolution or change would you like to see in BDPA? - I would like to see a move toward publishing. BDPA publishing. :-) The same way BETF initiated the BDPA iRadio program, I would like to see information products based on the years of learning from the programs related to encouraging African Americans to embrace technology and technology careers.
4. What would you like the Black community to know about BDPA? - I would like MORE of the Black community to be AWARE that BDPA exists. I am baffled by this. But as I speak, mentor and connect with our people and direct them to connect with BDPA more times than not, they are not aware of BDPA. This is unfortunate. I work very hard to make sure that our people who are interested in careers in technology locate their local chapter and take advantage of all of the good work that BDPA is doing.
5. Any advice for people considering a donation to BETF? - My advice would be to donate. We have many problems and issues in the Black community for sure. But I consider the digital divide to be our generation's civil rights issue. We must close this gap. Technology gives us access to the economic engine of this country and we cannot continue to lag. No organization is more equipped and more dedicated to closing this gap than BDPA. My advice would be to give and give often.

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Share some love with Kai in the COMMENTS section!

HSCC Testimonial: Jordan West (BDPA Philadelphia, 2007-2008)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) has awarded $344,200 in scholarship funding over the past decade. The shame of it is that there are hundreds of high school kids that have worked hard in BDPA programs without earning a college scholarship from us. BETF has a vision of giving out full 4-year college scholarships to every student in our program. After all, there are wonderful youngsters like Jordan West who work hard in our Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program who deserve all the rewards of participation that we can possibly pull together.

Jordan was a member of the national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by BDPA Philadelphia for the 2007 (Washington DC) and 2008 (Atlanta) national HSCC championships. He was kind enough to share his thoughts on BDPA with us:

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"My time in the high school computer competition (HSCC) program for BDPA Philadelphia did a lot in helping to shape the person I am today. The program not only taught me skills in working in technology; but also in connecting with other people my age with like minded interests, meeting with older businessmen who could help me on my career path, and allowing me to travel to different places across America.

My first year in the program was difficult as I didn’t have a great understanding of exactly what I would be doing before I began. Also, I felt as though the other kids in the group were older, more experienced, and better with the information than I was. However, this increased my desire to want to go to the meetings to make sure that I kept up with the other students.

My second year in as a part of the HSCC team was easier that the first, but still difficult. I wasn’t nervous anymore but the difficulty of the material and the amount of time we spent learning it was greatly increased. That made it harder for me to keep up my dedication to the classes but it was worth it in the end as I still remember most of the things I learned in those meetings.

The BDPA HSCC programs also gave me countless opportunities to network with others. The national conferences were a great platform to meet with people across the country and attend different workshops to learn how to interview, build a résumé, and other important job skills. It also gave me the opportunity to see parts of the country that I may not have gone to."

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I hope that Jordan's story will encourage you to support the BDPA Philadelphia HSCC Scholarship Fund. Every donation makes a difference in the lives of a young person like Jordan!

HSCC Testimonial: James Gadsden (Philadelphia, 2007-2009)

BDPA Philadelphia chapter has been part of the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program for over 20 years. Over 100 high school students have gone through the program. One of those students is James Gadsden. James was part of the Philadelphia chapter teams that competed for the National BDPA HSCC Championship in 2007 (Washington DC), 2008 (Atlanta) and 2009 (Raleigh).

James shared his thoughts on BDPA with us:

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My time in the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) program as a student was an amazing experience. I can definitely say that I've grown from being involved in the program. When I first began the program, I was very shy and reserved and nervous about the entire aspect of the program and eventually, the competition.

I became more and more comfortable with the various aspects of the program and more confident in myself after my first year.

The second and third years that I spent in the program were my favorite. I learned so much and was able to incorporate what I learned from the program into my other endeavors like school and work.

I returned to BDPA Philadelphia chapter to serve as an assistant HSCC coordinator after I graduated from high school. I helped prepare the students for the competition. I am grateful for everything that the mentors, coordinators and guests have taught me throughout the years.

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James has a powerful BDPA legacy. His aunt, Eileen Gadsden, will be BDPA Philadelphia chapter president in 2011-2012. BDPA Education and Technology Foundation is working to see that the future students from BDPA Philadelphia chapter earn a college scholarship. Our hope is that you will help us 'make it so'.

HSCC Testimonial: Nana Yaa Kwansa (Southern Minnesota, 2007-2010)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is writing a check worth more than $10,000 from the Bemley Scholarship Fund for the first time in our 18-year history! Nana Yaa Kwansa is a truly remarkable young woman. I believe that she is the second person in the 25-year history of our high school computer competition (HSCC) who has been a member of the national HSCC championship team in four (4) different years. Yaa was a national HSCC champion in 2007-2010.

Yaa is currently a freshman at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Prior to college, Yaa attended Schaeffer Academy, a high school in Rochester Minnesota, and graduated in May 2010. Yaa joined BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter in 2005 and enrolled in their Youth Computer Training Program (YCTP) which is a subset of the Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program that exists nationwide. Yaa was an alternate on the silver-medal HSCC team in 2006.  However, she never earned less than a gold medal once she was selected to participate on the national HSCC team from Rochester MN.

Here is Yaa's story in her own words:

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When I joined the BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter and enrolled in Youth Computer Training Program (YCTP) in fall 2005, little did I know what was ahead of me. A number of high school students meet in a rigorous computer programming class for 3 hours each Saturday for about 8 months throughout the year. The top 5 are selected to represent the chapter in a national competition.

In my first year participating in YCTP, I did not excel in class, but I quickly learned every web technology that was taught, including HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, MySQL relational databases and others. By the end of the second year, I could create full-fledged database driven web applications. I was a little nervous in class because most of the students were older than my age. However, I was proud to be among the 5 students selected each year for four consecutive years to represent the chapter.

In 2007, not only did I return to class, but I personally recruited a diverse group of new students to join the YCTP.

I approached the YCTP class that year with a new resolve, committed not only to earning a spot on the competition team, but also helping my fellow classmates to succeed. 2007 was my first year on the HSCC team, and I was given the opportunity to learn various roles for the competition, serving as the database administrator, technical writer, and lead tester. To prepare for the national competition, we had a boot camp. My fellow teammates and I worked several weeks throughout the summer, practicing computer programming, project management, presentation and teamwork. The coordinators and the volunteers were excellent and usually kept the training interesting and alive.

The National HSCC Championship was held in Washington DC that year, (and other years) we competed against over 20 other chapters from much larger cities including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Throughout a 2-day national competition, culminating in a 7-hour web programming project, our hard work (usually) paid off and the Southern Minnesota team earned the 1st place award. It was a great experience for me. With that experience, the competitions in Atlanta, Raleigh and Philadelphia were not different, and we maintained the 1st position.

I started YCTP as an unskilled ‘computer programmer’ making appearances and putting in a few hours weekly. However, I have to say that I ended up a different person with leadership skills, human relations skills, passion for making a difference, having the sense of satisfaction, and other virtues. With the kind of commitment the coordinators and volunteers demonstrated in training and supporting the class, I have also come to understand the value and the importance of giving back to the community. The impact of feeling just a little bit more positive about life, and the spirit of generosity – giving back unconditionally to others, even to strangers as well.

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I hope that you will share some BDPA-Love in the COMMENTS area for Nana Yaa!  More importantly, I hope that you see the value in helping us grow the Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund ... we can only keep these scholarships going out in the future if you make an online donation today!

Oh yeah -- for those BDPA historians out there -- Brittany Middleton was a member of the HSCC teams trained by BDPA Memphis who won national HSCC championships in four different years (2001-2004).  Brittany graduated from University of Tennessee Knoxville and she now has a job teaching.   Our understanding is that only Brittany and Nana Yaa have the distinction of being 4-time national HSCC champions!

Are BDPA Members Using Second Life?

Philena Rush gave an outstanding presentation on Second Life at the August 2010 program meeting hosted by BDPA Columbus chapter. Kai Dupe made a Second Life presentation at the 2007 BDPA Conference in Washington DC.

I've had an account on Second Life for a few years ... although I must admit that I haven't been on that virtual reality site recently. At one point I thought it would be a great marketing opportunity for BDPA to have a presence in Second Life.

I'm curious -- are there any BDPA members with a Second Life account? Here are the ones that I know about so far:

1. Bernard D (Atlanta) - Tre Giles
2. Kai Dupe (Austin) - Kai Soyinka
3. Wayne Hicks (Cincinnati) - Villager Barbosa
4. Thaddeus Howze (Bay Area) - Thaddeus Gray
5. Philena Rush (Columbus) - LOM Runner

Anybody else?

If you're a Second Lifer ... would you like to see BDPA use it as a tool to recruit new members or find potential sponsors and donors?

HSCC Testimonial * Khadijah Celestine (New York, 2007)

Khadijah Celestine is one of the brightest stars in the BDPA universe. I saw her in Philadelphia last month. She participated in the college division of the BDPA IT Showcase. What I didn't realize was that Khadijah was also an alumni of our High School Computer Competition (HSCC). It turns out that little sister was part of the HSCC team trained by BDPA New York chapter to compete in the 2007 national championships.

I asked Khadijah to share her HSCC testimonial with us ... I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:

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I am currently a student at New York City College of Technology (CUNY’s City Tech), pursuing my passion, computers and technology. This fall I will be a sophomore and by the time I graduate in June 2013, will have obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and an Associate of Science degree in Computer Science.


My studies include designing web sites using HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Javascript and Actionscript. In a continuous effort to better myself, I am also pursuing a professional certificate in Web Design and improving secondary interests in graphic design and video game design. I am an active member in City Tech’s Computer Science Club.


During high school, I was introduced to Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). What started out as a high school extracurricular activity has become a very important part of my life.


My first year with BDPA, I represented the New York Chapter and took part in the National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) in Washington, D.C. I interacted with other students from around the country and was impressed and in awe of their interests in computer programming and development. With the help of my computer science teacher, Mr. Destine; BDPA-NY Education Director, Ms. Denise Hamilton and BDPA-NY President Mrs. Judaea Lane, I received an opportunity to learn how to compete and increase my technical knowledge of computers to another level. Also I received the opportunity to network with other African Americans who are taking a more active role in this.


In addition to my computer and technology pursuits, I gain significant satisfaction from tutoring and improving others lives. On Saturdays, I tutor adults in reading at the Flatbush Avenue Public Library. This opportunity opened up a whole new for me as I ignorantly believed that every adult could read. Being able to help someone do something as simple as read makes me understand what I can contribute to others. Furthermore, my life plans changed for the better when I had the honor of tutoring a woman who had grown up in foster care. When I found that children in foster care are in need of something more than the ability to read, I couldn’t pass up the chance to get involved. I am currently working on my certification as a Mentor.


My passion for dance rounds out my academic and volunteer efforts. I started to dance as a sophomore in high school and was quickly elevated from a “back line” dancer to a “front line” dancer. This was no easy task, since I had no prior training and was very shy. Nevertheless, my passion for dance as an art, permeated through each and every pore, every time music touches my soul. There isn’t a piece of music that passes by without an accompanied movement from me.

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Sometimes people question why I'm so persistent in my efforts to find funding for BDPA's youth education program. It's simple ... I do it for Khadijah and the other young brothers and sisters out there who are touched by the work of BDPA.

BDPA Photo Album by Thomas Polk

If a picture is worth a thousand words ... here are 3,585 photos worth over three million words for you!

• 3Q-2008 National Board of Directors Meeting (67 photos)
• Aug 2008 National Executive Committee Meeting (46 photos)
• 2007 Conference, Day 1 (82 photos)
• 2007 Conference, Day 2 (88 photos)
• 2007 Conference, Day 3 (180 photos)
• 2007 Conference, Day 4 (44 photos)
• 2006 Conference (1034 photos)
• 2005 Conference (1860 photos)
• 2Q-2005 National Board of Directors Meeting (184 photos)

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These photos were taken by Thomas Polk, owner of Polk Photography. You can reach him by phone at (216) 921-5113.

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Do you know of other photos from the conference that we are missing? I encourage you to upload any of your conference photos to our BDPA Photo Album!

A Capital Time in the Nation's Capitol

Diversity/Careers magazine wrote a great article on the recently held BDPA national conference. The article was entitled, 'A capital time in the nation’s capitol' and it included information on our youth education programs, ITSMF and our incoming national officers. The article starts off as follows:

The 2007 national technology conference of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) in Washington, DC had something for everyone: youth activities and competitions, high-powered technical seminars, career-building panel discussions and wonderful networking opportunities. Corporate sponsors were recognized at several events, and the conference wound up with a well-attended two-day career fair and a gala banquet.

The Philadelphia, PA chapter took away honors as chapter of the year. The Cincinnati chapter was first runner-up.

Click here to read the full article
Diversity/Careers magazine is a bi-monthly magazine for IT professionals. One of the great benefits of membership is that we get a complimentary subscription to this magazine. Are you getting your copy? More important ... what do you remember about the conference in Washington DC?

Selling BDPA - Multiple Streams of Chapter Revenue: Membership Corporate Sales and BETF Support

One of the chapter-building workshops provided at the BDPA Technology Conference last month in Washington DC was entitled Selling BDPA - Multiple Streams of Chapter Revenue: Membership, Corporate Sales and BETF Support.

Cliff Samuels is a board member of our BDPA Detroit chapter. He requested a copy of the handout material from that workshop to share with his chapter leadership. Just click here to download a copy of the 16-page handout package from the Selling BDPA workshop.

Let me know if you have questions about any of the information provided in this handout package!

2007 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Rankings

The 2007 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships were held in Washington DC. We had 21 teams competing in 2007 ... highest chapter participation since the 2004 competition.

The crowds gathered around these 21 teams to see if the team trained by BDPA Chicago could defend their 2006 title or whether the team trained by BDPA Southern Minnesota would resume their national dominance or if another chapter would upset them both.

As it turned out the power of the young men and women from Rochester, MN was too much ... BDPA Southern Minnesota earned 774 points to win the 2007 National HSCC championship ... their 3rd championship in the past 3 years. It was a remarkable effort by four truly remarkable young people (Yaa Kwansa, Ahmed Mahamad, Lauren Pemberton, Kunle Roberts and Adwait Walimbe), their coach (Zack Garbow) and chapter president (Francis Aning).

The host team from Washington DC set a chapter record in the national competition when they scored 754 points for the silver-medal. BDPA Chicago chapter scored 753 points to earn a bronze medal.

Here are the rankings for all 21 teams that competed in 2007 national HSCC championships with the scholarship winnings for each student in parenthesis:

1. Southern Minnesota ($3,000 Bemley Scholarship for each student)
2. Washington DC ($2,000 each)
3. Chicago ($1,500 each)
4. Detroit ($1,000 each)
5. Chattanooga ($500 each)
6. Charlotte
7. Dayton
8. New Jersey
9. Los Angeles
10. Twin Cities
11. Dallas
12. Richmond
13. Hartford
14. Cincinnati
15. Austin
16. St. Louis
17. Philadelphia
18. New York
19. Greater Tampa Bay
20. Cleveland
21. Columbus

Our foundation seeks to increase the number of students that receive Bemley Scholarships in 2009 and beyond. To do so, we need your help. Please consider making an online donation to help us interest young people in science and technology.

Were you at the 2007 National BDPA Technology Conference held in Washington DC? Do you remember the HSCC championships? Do you remember any of the workshops or speakers from that year's conference? Care to share your favorite memory of that conference with us?

Cincinnati Students Win BDPA IT Showcase

Jahmal Chase, a sophomore at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts and Amber Gosby a sophomore at Mt. Healthy High School placed first and second place respectively in the high school portion of the 2007 BDPA IT Showcase held during the organization’s national conference in Washington DC. [NOTE: Chase and Gosby are pictured in between Justin Buckner, their IT Showcase Advisor (R)and Brenda Hogan, BDPA Cincinnati Chapter President (L)].

BDPA's IT Showcase provides students in both high school and college the opportunity to demonstrate expertise in various fields of technology. As part of the competition, Chase and Gosby were required to write ten page papers on their topics (Virtual Reality and Robotics respectively), prepare a 10 minute oral PowerPoint presentation and create a poster that captures their concepts in a visually stimulating manner. All students were critiqued by a panel of 3 judges. This was the first time competing for both Chase and Gosby.

The BDPA IT Showcase was sponsored by IBM and Eli Lilly & Company. Elmer Corbin (IBM) and Tim Coleman (Eli Lilly) shared comments with the students during the award ceremony.