2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Rankings

The 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships were held in Chicago. We had 19 teams competing in 2011. The 2011 HSCC Champion were from BDPA Southern Minnesota and they earned $1,500 Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship for attending college. They beat out the student members from BDPA Detroit and BDPA Atlanta.

The winning HSCC team from Rochester MN included: Zakaria Ahmed, Hassan Hassan, Daniel Sheppard, Herchran Singh and Adwait Walimbe.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to note that we provided financial support to over half of the HSCC teams that competed this year ... including the Bemley Scholarshps provided to the top five (5) performing chapters in the national HSCC championships.

Here are the rankings for all 19 teams that competed in 2011 national HSCC championships with the scholarship winnings for each student in parenthesis:

2011 Southern Minnesota HSCC Team

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

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

BDPA iRadio Show - March 11, 2014

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!

Check Out Technology Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with BDPA on BlogTalkRadio

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The guest on the March 11th show:

Dalric Webb - President, BDPA Cincinnati - Dalric Webb is the president of our BDPA Cincinnati chapter. Under his leadership there has been a significant uptick in programs, members and donations associated with the chapter. Dalric has a powerful vision for the future of BDPA in the greater Cincinnati area. Our iRadio Show audience will be interested in hearing from Dalric on what he considers the ROI-value proposition for both IT professionals and corporate America when it comes to BDPA programs, scholarships and services. Dalric can be found on Twitter - @BDPACincinnati

Russell Fraenkel - Director, Advance IT Minnesota - Russell Fraenkel is the director of Collaborative Programs and Outreach for Advance IT Minnesota. Advance IT Minnesota is a center of excellence within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system whose mission is to inspire students to pursue an education and career pathway and through collaborative initiatives, prepare them for workforce demand and success. BDPA learned of Mr. Fraenkel when he was involved in the Aspirations in Computing Award at the state level in Minnesota ... and two of the 2012 applicants were BDPA Twin Cities student members Gabriella Knight and Sifora Tek-Lab (video, http://youtu.be/Kc2QzQBSVCg). Russell can be found on Twitter - @RWFraenkel

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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!

BDPA Twin Cities SITES Program (2013)

The Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program has been up and running for over a quarter century within BDPA. Two of the frequent initiatives under the SITES umbrella are the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) and the BDPA IT Showcase. BDPA Twin Cities chapter has a powerful legacy in both of these student initiatives since its founding in January 1989.

BDPA Twin Cities chapter student training program is free and available to all students with a passion for technology. It is held on Saturdays and includes three levels of education. BDPA thrives from a great group of dedicated volunteers and parents. This year, the “circle of learning” continues as HSCC alumni return to teach and coach new students. Classes are exciting as students learn programming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, C#, MySQL), web development, project management, and team building skills. They also gain insight from IT professionals that come in every week to share their career experience. By the end of our program, students become young IT leaders and take pride in being “Nerdy”.

L-R: Kelly Martin, Samuel Odumakin, Sifora Tek-Lab, Jesus Vega, Justin Wulf, Opeyemi OdumakinJorian Wulf, Qadre Ayinde, Kiani Burkett, Roman Gradford, Joshua Cunningham, Hillary Thomas Jr., Diliet “Shortcut” Tekie, Salvador Rojas, Jonathan Rojas, Xzavier Wells, Isaiah Brown, Alondra Rojas, Phoenix Lewis, Ariana Pope, Aron Tek-Lab, and Daze Davison

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) urges you to reach deep to support these young people. Please make a secure online donation and designate it in support of the BDPA Twin Cities programs, scholarships and services.

Letter from BDPA Twin Cities HSCC Coordinator

Michael Wulf

BDPA Chapter Presidents, Officers, Members, & Volunteers!

My name is Michael Wulf and I’m a candidate running for BDPA Midwest Region Vice President.

With only a few weeks before we travel to the 35th Annual BDPA Technical Conference & Career Expo I wanted to introduce myself to each chapter in the Midwest Region and ask consideration for your support in my decision to run for office.

In the past 8 years I’ve been a volunteer heavily engaged in the BDPA Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program ... more specifically, the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) program in the Twin Cities. Most of you know me as their HSCC Coordinator. As a leader in corporate America, I use a collaborative style of management. In this role I view myself in the same capacity - in a supportive role to assist in making BDPA even more successful building on the great work of predecessors.

In this role I will partner with the elected National President, Regional Director, and many others to empower our Midwest region to be the best in BDPA!

Given the opportunity to be elected by your chapter delegates at the national conference my goals are:

• Expand communication between chapters, national and BETF.
• Grow membership and reactive inactive chapters in the region.
• Support local chapter and national initiatives.
• Support membership growth.
• Support youth education, professional development, and HSCC competition.

Given the opportunity to serve in this capacity my intention is together establish a Midwest action plan to align and accomplish our combined prioritized goals. I have the experience, passion and determination to deliver on what is needed. Together we can make a difference at a higher level than ever dreamed.

Things you may not have known about me that you may want to know why serving in this capacity is important.

• Father of a blended family with two daughters, two sons, and three grandchildren. Education and the mission of BDPA means a great deal to me.
• Extremely knowledgeable in the management of geographically dispersed matrix organizations – much like our Midwest region is organized. Veteran IT Professional serving IT for 32 years.
• I live in the “Midwest” keeping homes in both Minnesota and Illinois.

Sending this memo in advance of the national election to allow us both the opportunity to talk by phone. I will attempt to call you, however I can be reached at (651) 261-0408. See you at the “Get to know the candidate session” (8/14/2013).

Sincerely,
Michael G. Wulf, Candidate
BDPA Midwest Region Vice President

VIDEO: 'Your Future in IT Starts Today'

There are upwards of 500 students engaged in BDPA computer camps around the nation on any given weekend. Here is a video that can be shared with each of those students and their parents during orientation. This video production is the creation of BDPA Twin Cities chapter leader Michael Wulf.



What did you think of Michael's video vignette?

Future Face of Technology: Emmaly Manchanthasouk (CEO, Emmapowerment Designs)

Emmaly Manchanthasouk was a member of the 2008 and 2009 HSCC teams trained by BDPA Twin Cities. She earned college scholarship funding based on the team's high placement in the 2009 HSCC championship. Earlier this month Emmaly was a featured speaker at the BDPA Twin Cities Awards Gala. BDPA Education and Technology Foundation is very proud of Emmaly on any number of levels. She is truly the 'future face of technology'

CEO of Emmapowerment Designs, Manchanthasouk, graduated in Computer Science concentrating in Information Systems with a minor in Fashion Design at the University of St. Thomas.  Her software development company specializes in user interface design, database design and the re-engineering of legacy systems.

A proud Lao woman, she has the passion & heart to empower the underprivileged and bring social change to women across the world. AND she does it all while flaunting her pink zebra obsession.

She lives with her husband in the suburbs of Minnesota with her 2 baby zebras. She claims she cooks the best Lao food."

"I'm such a nerd for doing this but this is the kind of woman I want to be one day. I dream big," admitted Manchanthasouk.

Help BDPA fund college scholarships for the 'future faces of technology' by making a secure online donation right now!

BDPA Twin Cities Students Strive for 'Aspirations in Computing Award'

Sifora Tek-Lab is a junior at Eastview High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Gabriella Knight is a freshman at the University of Minnesota. Both of these young ladies have been part of the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program hosted by our BDPA Twin Cities chapter over the past three years. In fact, Sifora was part of the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team that took home 5th place in the 2012 National BDPA HSCC championship held recently in Baltimore.

Sifora is on far-right as member of 2012 HSCC Team

We are very proud to note that Sifora and Gabriella are both competing for the national 'Aspirations in Computing Award' given out by the National Center for Women and Information Technology.  The award goes to deserving young women that are engaged in a variety of technology programs ... such as SITES. Both young women were recently supported in their 'Aspiration Award' efforts by the IT community in Minneapolis.

Learn more from the following video of an interview conducted by local television station, KARE-12 back on October 20, 2012:



Please take a moment to POST YOUR COMMENT as encouragement to these two remarkable BDPA student members!

Los Angeles Wins BDPA West Region High School Computer Competition

BDPA Southern Minnesota has won six of the past seven national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships. They are a formidable team with graduates currently studying at Marist College, Rice University, University of Minnesota and Washington University of St. Louis. So when another HSCC team beats them ... it's newsworthy!

BDPA Los Angeles chapter students (see photo) shocked the HSCC community with their recent victory in the 2012 BDPA West Region HSCC Championship. The final results were as follows:

1. 1st place - Los Angeles, Team A (Pooja Chebolu, Akindele Davies, Trayer Harvey, John Isaacs and Justice Mozell-Guy)
2. 2nd place - Southern Minnesota - Team A
3. 3rd place - Los Angeles, Team B (Austin DeYoung, Steven Moreno, Marcus Schumann and Steven Zavala)
4. 4th place - Twin Cities
5. 5th place - Southern Minnesota - Team B

Chapters around the nation have been preparing for the national championship by competing in regional competitions held in Cincinnati (OH), Columbia (SC) Minneapolis (MN) and Washington (DC). The national championship should be truly an outstanding event. Who do you think will win this year?

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

Message from BDPA Twin Cities HSCC Coordinator

BDPA Twin Cities HSCC Coordinator shared his joy about the efforts of the students who participated in the 2012 computer camp hosted by his chapter. It is wonderful to consider the different that Michael Wulf and the other volunteers from BDPA Twin Cities are making for their community with this STEM-based experience for young people. Well done Michael!

BDPA Member Michael Wulf Awarded Presidential Volunteer Service Award

We are pleased to announce that President Barack Obama recently awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Award to BDPA Twin Cities chapter member Michael Wulf in recognition of his dedication and time commitment to community service in 2011.

The Presidential Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals, families, and groups that have achieved a certain standard – measured by the number of hours of service over a 12-month period.

I'm fairly certain that Michael Wulf will be in the BDPA Hall of Fame when it is eventually built. Bro. Wulf trained over 100 high school students ... including his two sons, Justin and Jordan ... in the past few years as part of the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. A number of the young people shared their testimonials in this video:





In fact, there are over 60 young people in the chapter's SITES program right now in 2012! The most beautiful thing is that students from prior years serve as 'junior instructors' responsible for preparing and delivering curriculum to less experienced students.

Use the COMMENTS section to share some BDPA-Love with Michael!

Grant Disbursement: BDPA Twin Cities ($1,374)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) proudly approved a funding request from BDPA Twin Cities chapter president Aaron Young and chapter VP-Finance Joe Richburg. The chapter requested $1,374 in "support of Twin Cities Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) classes."  The chapter's SITES program has grown consistently over the past few years.

BDPA Twin Cities SITES Orientation (2011)

The grant disbursement will be made in accordance to the SITES funding procedure in place between BETF and the 45 local BDPA chapters. Our hope is that other chapters will seek out BETF as a partner in their fundraising efforts this year.

Payroll Pledges: Wells Fargo Community Support and United Way Campaign

BDPA Education and Technology (BETF) is pleased to report that our organization has been designated to receive charitable contributions through the Wells Fargo 2010 Community Support and United Campaign.

Pledges were made by Reva Chamblis (Twin Cities) and Erica Frazier (Charlotte) in support of BDPA programs hosted by their local BDPA chapter.

Our hope is that other members of the Wells Fargo team will consider making payroll pledge to BETF in the future. For now, we hope you will join us in thanking Reva and Erica for their generous support!

BDPA Twin Cities HSCC Team (2011)

These are members of the 2011 HSCC team trained by BDPA Twin Cities chapter. This team earned Jesse Bemley Scholarships due to their 5th place finish at the 2011 National BDPA HSCC Championship held in Chicago IL.

The members of the team are shown in the above photo (L-R): Cedric Cyrus (Como HS), Samantha Spears (Woodbury HS), Jorian Wulf (St. Paul Central HS) and Douglas Callahan (St. Paul Central HS).

BDPA Twin Cities has built a strong student training program. It's free and available to all students with a true passion for technology. The program continues to expand offerings serving a variety of educational levels (beginning to advanced). Students become comfortable with 'being nerdy'. There are a number of HSCC alumni who come back to participate in the Saturday computer camps. The chapter's program earned funding this year from the American Honda Foundation!

HSCC Testimonial * D Ephraim (Twin Cities, 2008-2009)

No chapter has improved more over the last four years in the national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships than BDPA Twin Cities. One reason for their success is the powerful training offered by Michael Wulf and others. Another reason is the powerful intelligence and drive of its students ... such as D Ephraim.

He shared his thoughts with us:

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My name is D Ephraim. I am a graduate of Edina High School and currently attending Normandale Community College with plans to transfer to the University of Minnesota in winter 2010. I plan to double major in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. I have been interested in computers and programming all my life and BDPA has given me the chance to display what I've learned.

The High School Computer Competition (HSCC) was one of the most exciting things I've ever been a part of. It gave me and my team a chance to reap the fruits of our labor. We worked for months and months to advance our craft and be the best programmers we could be. I really enjoyed the whole weekend and meeting people like me from across the country was interesting. My team came in 9th in my first year (2008) and 4th in my second year (2009). I am very thankful for being a part of such a phenomenal program.

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D earned a Jesse Bemley Scholarship for the high performance of his team at the 2009 HSCC championships in Raleigh NC. He is using that scholarship to continue his education at community college.

BDPA Twin Cities HSCC Team (2010)

The student training program hosted by BDPA Twin Cities chapter continues to grow and strengthen.  The chapter's program is free and available to all that have a true passion for technology -- no student excluded.  The chapter continues to expand offerings serving a variety of educational levels (beginning to advanced).

Students become comfortable with "being nerdy".

The program is held on Saturdays and involves a great group of dedicated volunteers (instructors, parents and HSCC alumni).    This year the 'circle of learning' continues -- Students Teaching Students!

Classes are exciting and students learn programming, analysis, design, project management and team building skills.   They are gaining exposure to "real world" programming knowledge.

The photo above is the five students on the 2010 national HSCC team trained by BDPA Twin Cities.  Wish them luck!

HSCC Testimonial * Logan LeCompte (Twin Cities, 2009)

One of the most remarkable demonstrations of commitment to BDPA occurred last year. The high school computer competition (HSCC) team trained by BDPA Twin Cities chapter wasn't able to afford plane tickets to attend the 2009 national championships being held in Raleigh NC. They didn't let the lack of funding stop them. Instead they simply piled the team, chaperones and coordinator into a van ... and drove for over 20 hours to get to North Carolina. This remarkable BDPA team ended up earning Jesse Bemley Scholarships with their 4th-place finish in the 2009 national HSCC championships.

Here is the testimonial from a member of that team:

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When I started BDPA I wasn't sure if programming was a skill that I could possess. I didn't think that I could memorize a whole new language and be able to recall and implement what I learned to make a fully functional website. I remember one of the first days of class our teacher Mark Holden walked us though creating a very basic html website; and after completing the website I started to think that I could easily learn how to program and make fully functional websites. In my first year while in 10th grade at BDPA I made the HSCC team but was an alternate on the competing team. I took 11th grade off because I had a job that required me to work on Saturdays. In 12th grade I came back to BDPA to make the HSCC team again and make the competing team where the Twin Cities chapter earned a 4th place at the BDPA competition in North Carolina.

BDPA taught me a lot of skills that I use today in life. BDPA taught me how to program in three different languages (C#, VB, and HTML) which I have implemented in my programming classes in college. Even though BDPA is a programming based program they made sure that the students learned public speaking skills and how to act in formal situations. I am now more comfortable talking in front of an audience than I was before BDPA.

BDPA has defiantly impacted my career decisions. In BDPA I learned how I could get into peoples computers and shut them down, or open files. After learning how to do this I discovered that I wanted to have a career where I could get paid to hack or protect people from hackers.

I'm attending Dakota State University with a double major in Network Security and Network System Administration and a minor in Networking.

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I encourage anyone reading Logan's testimonial to take a moment and share some love with this young brother!

Justin Wulf is a Bemley Scholar Destined to 'Make Moves'

One of the joys of my volunteer experiences as BETF executive director is passing out Bemley Scholarships to the young people that perform well at the national BDPA high school computer competition (HSCC) each year. BETF awarded over $100,000 in Bemley Scholarships over the past three years.

Bemley Scholarships were awarded earlier this year to the HSCC students trained by BDPA Twin Cities chapter. Justin Wulf (shown in photo on the far right) is a member of the BDPA Twin Cities team. His chapter didn't have enough funds to afford airfare to get the kids to and from the national championships in Raleigh NC ... so they rented a van and drove for over 20 hours on each leg of the round trip. Justin created some music in his mind during the trip ... please take a moment to enjoy his vibe!




I truly look forward to seeing where Justin's ambition takes him in the future! Methinks that this is the first time that BDPA has been used in a song ... and I know it is the first time that anyone has laid down tracks about scholarships given out by the BDPA Foundation!

What did you think? More importantly, what are you going to do about it? Isn't it time that you helped us 'make moves' to increase the Bemley Scholarship Fund?

BDPA Twin Cities Chapter Success Grows in High School Computer Competition

The success demonstrated by BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter in winning four of the past five national BDPA High School Computer Competitions (HSCC) is truly remarkable. However a few hours north in Minneapolis, MN is an untold story that I've enjoyed watching just as much.

BDPA Twin Cities chapter president Aaron Young and the chapter HSCC coordinator Michael Wulf and co-coordinator Kelly Martin have been quietly, persistently and passionately working to create a youth technology juggernaut in Minnesota.

The HSCC team from BDPA Twin Cities chapter came in 19th place during the 2006 national competition held in Los Angeles CA.


The BDPA Twin Cities chapter went back home, studied harder ... and at the 2007 national competition held in Washington DC the team took home 14th place honors.

Persistence and dedication to the educational process was evident during the training in 2008. The team traveled to Atlanta GA for the national competition and walked away with a 9th place finish.


Many of the members of the BDPA Twin Cities chapter HSCC team were entering their senior year in 2009. For many, this might be their last competition. They didn't have the funds to purchase air tickets ... so they rented a van and drove over 20 hours to compete in the 2009 national championship held in Raleigh NC ... and they walked away with $1,000 Bemley Scholarships as a result of their 4th place finish.


The sky is the limit for this chapter's youth education program in 2010. Judging from their progression over the past four years ... we shouldn't be surprised if the 2010 national HSCC championship banner remains in Minnesota next year! If any of our BDPA corporate sponsors in the Minnesota area are reading ... now is the time to sign up as a sponsor for this chapter ... trust me!

Grant Award: Wells Fargo

UPDATE: Wells Fargo requested a change in the distribution of this donation. The funding now includes support for BDPA Charlotte chapter as well.

[Original posting: Jan 6, 2009]

We are pleased to announce successful completion of $10,000 grant award from Wells Fargo.

Dwight Handon (National BDPA corporate sales department director) was instrumental in securing these funds. This funding from Wells Fargo will support National BDPA, BDPA Bay Area chapter and BDPA Twin Cities chapter.

Our hope is that other corporate foundations will be receptive to our discussions about funding BDPA programs and services in 2009. Please let us know if YOUR company's foundation might be interested in working with us.

In the meantime, I encourage you to use the COMMENTS section below to share some love with the men and women of Wells Fargo!