Wordless Wednesday: 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition Champions

Wordless Wednesday: National BDPA High School Computer Competition Champions (Southern Minnesota, 2011)

SOURCE: BDPA Foundation Photostream on Flickr

BDPA Member on the Move: Adwait Walimbe (Wal-Mart)

BDPA prides itself on providing programs, scholarships and services that help young people move from 'classroom to the boardroom' in the IT industry. BDPA Southern Minnesota member Adwait Walimbe is the latest example of this tagline being turned into reality.

Adwait joined BDPA while still in junior high school. He participated in the local chapter's Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. In fact, Adwait is the only student in over 30 years of BDPA history to be part of the winning team in National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship for FIVE YEARS.

Adwait used his college scholarship winnings to attend the University of Minnesota. During his college career he participated in the BDPA IT Showcase held in Baltimore last year.   This was when Adwait sat amongst a large crowd of IT professionals to listen to the career insights delivered at an executive symposium by the keynote speaker Ben Hasan, an IT executive with Wal-Mart.

"That's where I met Ben. I followed up with him later at the conference, and over the next few months he convinced me to join Wal-Mart," said Adwait.

Adwait (top-left) listens intently to Ben Hasan's presentation

Adwait accepted his first full-time job in the IT industry with Wal-Mart last month. He is now a Strategy Manager for the largest retailer in the world.

Ben Hasan is happy with the fact that Adwait is beginning his career with Wal-Mart.

"We are really excited to have Adwait on the team!!!", said Mr. Hasan.

Adwait Walimbe is the 'future face of technology'. Wal-Mart knows it. BDPA is proud of Adwait and we look forward to following his career over the coming years!   I encourage all BDPA members reading this post to share some love with our amazing Mr. Walimbe!

Bemley Scholar Adwait Walimbe Seeks Computer Science Degree from University of Minnesota

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to award a Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship in the amount of $11,500 to BDPA Southern Minnesota student member Adwait Walimbe.  This is the largest single college scholarship ever awarded in the history of our foundation.  Adwait is using this scholarship to pursue a Computer Science degree from the University of Minnesota.

There have been thousands of high school students competing in our national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships over the past quarter-century. Only two of those students (Yaa Kwansa and Brittany Middleton) have ever been national HSCC champions in four consecutive years. Adwait is the first student in BDPA history to be a FIVE-TIME national HSCC champion!

Adwait is a remarkable young man and a role model for BDPA students all across the nation. He created his own IT consulting firm six years ago and through that firm he became the founder of his own start-up, Socialdecks - an online, flashcard-based education system.

We asked Adwait to share his thoughts about BDPA in the following testimonial:

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My name is Adwait Walimbe, and I am currently attending the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. I joined the BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter Youth Computer Training Program (YCTP) as a 7th grader in 2006. Over the next five years I was a member of the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter. Our team won the national HSCC championship in all five of those years (2007-2011).

I met some very influential mentors, volunteers and peers over the course of my participation in the program. YCTP is conducted from December through May in Rochester MN, with HSCC practice in June and July. The national HSCC championships take place in August.

I was an eager and motivated student during my first year in the program. I enjoyed working hard to absorb as much new knowledge as possible. My strategy was to always self-study in order to stay a week ahead. Because of my young age in 2006, I was ineligible to compete as part of the HSCC team. I used that year as an opportunity to prepare for success over the next five. My passion for technology and the support of mentors who challenged me to succeed helped me build a solid foundation for success as a member of the chapter’s HSCC team over the next five years.

2010 Nat'l HSCC Champs!

I served as the ‘Technical Lead’ on my team in the first two years (2007-2008). I later grew into the role as ‘Project Manager’ over the next three years (2009-2011). Over the years, I worked with a group of smart, talented students who had very different team dynamics. The one consistent factor in all five years is that we were all motivated to do well at the national HSCC championship.

In 2012 I accepted a leadership position on the BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter board of directors. I am currently the chapter’s vice president of technology and I hope to contribute to the growth of our chapter.

My BDPA experiences, especially the advice from my BDPA mentors, led me to decision to attend the University of Minnesota where I pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with an emphasis in Software Engineering. Through BDPA I completed an internship last year with Mayo Clinic. I recently accepted a summer internship as a program manager with Microsoft.

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Adwait is a shining example of the BDPA vision to advance the careers of people in the Information Technology industry from the classroom to the boardroom. Can any of us doubt that Adwait Walimbe is the future face of technology?!

BDPA Southern Minnesota HSCC Team (2011)

These are the smiling faces of the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Champions. The team hails from Rochester, MN. The gentleman in the middle is Zack Garbow. Zack has been training the BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter HSCC teams for the past decade or so. His teams have now won 6 out of 7 national HSCC championships ... and 5 in a row!  Zack shared his HSCC insights on the August 9th episode of the BDPA iRadio Show.

Please meet your 2011 National BDPA HSCC Champions (L-R): Hassan Hassan (Century HS), Daniel Sheppard (Minnesota Virtual Academy), Zack Garbow (coach), Sharon Singh, Adwait Walimbe (John Marshall HS) and Zakaria Ahmed (Mayo HS).

Each of these young people earned a Jesse Bemley Scholarship (partially funded by the Creating IT Futures Foundation).

BDPA Foundation Announces 2011 Eli Lilly Scholarship Winners

The BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF), in coordination with Eli Lilly and Company, is pleased to announce the winner of the fifth annual Eli Lilly and Company Scholarship for BDPA Students. The two winners this year are Jala Cruz, a graduating senior at North Central High School (Indianapolis, IN) and Adwait Walimbe, a rising senior at John Marshall High School (Rochester, MN).



The purpose of the Eli Lilly Scholarship for BDPA Students is to recognize 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.

“We appreciate Eli Lilly and Company for the investment that it continues to make in our BDPA student members,” said Wayne Hicks, BETF Executive Director. “The BDPA Foundation is pleased to work with Eli Lilly to help cultivate these future leaders. Our hope is that other corporations will contact us for similar scholarship opportunities”

Part of the application process is an essay that answers the question 'Why is Information Technology Important'.  Jala's essay focused on the many ways that technology is used to improve our lives.  Click here for the full text of her winning essay.

Adwait is a long-time BDPA member.  He was part of the past few national High School Computer Competition championship teams trained by our BDPA chapter in Rochester, MN.  His essay focused on the impact of technology on both entrepreneurial start-ups and off-shore outsourcing. Click here for the full text of his winning essay.

Previous Eli Lilly scholars were:

• 2010 - Leslie Vasquez (Pike High School) and Gerado Dominguez (Chicago State University)
• 2009 - Carrine Johnson (Palos Verdes Peninsula High School) and Hung Vo (Georgia Tech University)
• 2008 - Khalia Braswell (North Carolina State University) and Christian West (Northwestern University)
• 2007 - Daniel Puente (Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center School of Business and Management) and Lee Reed (University of Michigan)

Three BDPA Students Showcase Entrepreneurial Talents with 3D Virtual Integration of Facebook Called StartLounge

We often talk about BDPA being an organization that provides programs and services that advance the careers of our members from the 'classroom to the boardroom'. I think that we will find the reality behind those words in Rochester, MN. That is where three past national BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) champions have joined together to create the StartLounge.

StartLounge is a visual, social interface that engages users with 3D-Facebook integration. StartLounge also gives you the power to preview your Facebook news feeds and pictures that you are tagged in. The co-founders indicate that the product is still in the development stages and will be continually updated with cool new features.

The co-founders are student members of our BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter: James Arama, Ahmed Mahamad and Adwait Walimbe.

James Arama, Ahmed Mahamad and Adwait Walimbe

Arama is a freshman majoring in Computer Science at Marist College. He specializes in information processing with emphasis on business based applications utilizing Open-Source Interfaces.

Mahamad is a sophomore majoring in Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota. He plans to continue his studies at Medical School while researching in the area of Bio-informatics. This is a topic that he researched for the 2010 BDPA IT Showcase held earlier this year in Philadelphia.


Walimbe is a senior at John Marshall High School. He is a developing programmer, aspiring entrepreneur, and business consultant with plans to major in Computer Science when he enters college next year. This isn't his first start-up business. In 2008, he created Socialdecks, a company geared towards online learning while focusing on the social aspect of education.

These three young men embody the spirit of  'classroom to the boardroom' more than most. I look forward to seeing where their current venture -- StartLounge -- takes them over the coming months and years. In the meantime, I hope that all of BDPA-Nation will share some love with these three young men.

Sometimes we wonder why we put in the hours that we do for BDPA. I suggest that it is young 'uns like James, Ahmed and Adwait that make it all worthwhile.  

You can help us create scholarship opportunities for other young men and women by making a donation to the Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund. Every dollar makes a difference. Won't you share your blessings with these young people?

2008 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Rankings

The 2008 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships were held in Atlanta GA. We had 23 teams competing in 2008 ... highest chapter participation since the 2004 competition.

The tension during the 2 days of the competition centered around the team trained by BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter. This chapter won 2 of the past 3 national competitions and arrived in Atanta as the defending champions.

The talent and training of the Rochester MN team proved to be unstoppable ... BDPA Southern Minnesota earned and all-time record score of 1,038 points to win the 2008 National HSCC championship ... their 3rd championship in the past 4 years. In fact, the same five students (Yaa Kwansa, Ahmed Mahamad, Lauren Pemberton, Kunle Roberts and Adwait Walimbe) came back to win their second consecutive national HSCC championship under the direction of their coach (Zack Garbow) and chapter president (Nat Calvert).

BDPA Washington DC scored the best score in chapter history with 892 points to come in second place. BDPA Chicago scored 873 points to earn the bronze medal. The rest of BDPA-nation will need to step up their game in order to compete with Southern Minnesota, Washington DC and Chicago in the 2009 competition.

Here are the rankings for all 23 teams that competed in 2008 national HSCC championships with the scholarship winnings for each student in parenthesis:

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

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.

Finally, I encourage you to share your thoughts and memories of the 2008 National BDPA Conference held in Atlanta GA with others in this online community.

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?