Kunle Roberts Reflects on Bank of America Scholarship for BDPA Students

Kunle Roberts

Kunle Roberts was a member of the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) teams trained by BDPA Southern Minnesota in 2006-2008. He was part of two national HSCC championship teams (2007-2008) and the other team took home a silver medal (2006).

Kunle earned many scholarships for his efforts within BDPA including the Jesse Bemley Scholarship issued by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF).   Kunle learned about the Bank of America Scholarship for BDPA Students while he was gaining his STEM experiences with BDPA. He became one of the first recipients of that college scholarship funded by Bank of America.  He used the scholarship to further his education at Rice University.

We asked Kunle to reflect on the impact that the scholarship had on the direction of his college and professional career. Here is what he had to say:

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"My experience in BDPA was instrumental in my development as a young adult. The organization, from the local to the national level, has supported me throughout my entire high school and college career. I am very thankful for this great organization and all that they have accomplished to enrich the youth of today. By collaborating with Bank of America, they have found yet another way to provide support and recognition to individuals like myself. As higher education gets more and more expensive, scholarships such as the Bank of America scholarship are an absolute blessing and a motivation to continue to succeed. I ask that you continue your partnership with BDPA to truly enrich the lives of students and provide them with additional support to reach their goals. I am extremely grateful for what I received from Bank of America and BDPA, and I really hope that others get the same chance to benefit."

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BETF is hopeful that Bank of America will consider renewing its funding of these college scholarships for exceptional BDPA student members in 2016. If not, we hope that other corporations or entrepreneurs will consider working with us to significantly increase the quantity of college scholarships that we provide to young people interested in careers within the IT industry.

You've heard Kunle's story. What say u?

Christie Thornton Reflects on Bank of America Scholarship for BDPA Students

Christie Thornton was a member of the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by BDPA Charlotte chapter to compete in the 2006 national HSCC championship. Christie learned about the Bank of America Scholarship for BDPA Students while she was gaining her STEM experiences with BDPA. She became one of the first recipients of that college scholarship funded by Bank of America. She used the scholarship to further her education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

We asked Christie to reflect on the impact that the scholarship had on the direction of her college and professional career. Here is what she had to say:

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My name is Christie Thornton and I won the Bank of America Scholarship for BDPA Students back in 2006. The BDPA High School program was my first exposure to Information Technology. After participating in the program and winning the scholarship, I went on to UNC Charlotte to pursue Graphic Design degree. However, after a semester of studying Art, I decided to also begin my studies in IT with a minor in Computer Science.

That minor in Computer Science turned out to be one of the best decisions I made during my Undergraduate studies. I became a teacher's assistant for a programming class, participated in Undergraduate Research, and joined a technology focused community outreach program. I was even afforded the opportunity to attend a Grace Hopper Conference!

I am currently a Catalog Specialist with Lowe's (Home Improvement). I started off developing digital catalogs for in-store ordering, and am transitioning to a role as a Services Platform Specialist. Had it not been for that initial exposure to IT through the BDPA, I do not believe I would have ever discovered all of the opportunities provided by Computer Technology.

I strongly urge Bank of America to continue your support of BDPA High School students! We are students with great promise, who will use our education as an opportunity to learn and grow into the IT workforce that America needs.

Best,
Christie Thornton
www.graffictraphic.com

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BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is hopeful that Bank of America will consider funding these college scholarships for exceptional BDPA student members in 2013. If not, we hope that other corporations or entrepreneurs will consider working with us to significantly increase the quantity of college scholarships that we provide to young people interested in careers within the IT industry.

You've heard Christie's story. What say u?

HSCC Testimonial: Karole Johnson (2005-2006)

Originally Posted: 1/3/2008

We are pleased to share another testimonial from a student participant in our youth education programs provided for K-12 students all over the nation. This young sister comes to us from Richmond, VA.

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"My name is Karole Johnson and I am currently a freshman at High Point University in High Point, NC. I was a 2006 graduate of The Steward School in Richmond, VA. I have participated in the BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Training program since I was in the seventh grade. My first conference experience was in Chicago. Even though I was only 12 years old, I remember having so much fun and meeting people who are still my friends to this day.

Since then, I have traveled to Orlando, Philadelphia, Dallas, Detroit, and Los Angeles. I participated in the Youth Conference for four years, and I learned a lot in the seminars. My favorite part of any BDPA youth conference had to be the ‘Student Outing’ to one of the local businesses (behind the scenes at Disney) or colleges (University of Texas at Dallas). This was my favorite part of the conference because I got to see how life was in other parts of the country.

Starting in my junior year, 2005, I participated on the Richmond HSCC Team. I had fun participating in the oral and written competitions. The programming competition was where I grew. Not only did I grow in my programming skills, but I also grew in my time-management skills. Those eight hours are very challenging. You have to use your brain and your memory to do the problem correctly.

Throughout training and competition, one skill that I learned that will bring me success in the future is paying attention to details. Coding is a skill that has to be done perfectly or you will not have the outcome you desire. One missing letter or bracket will upset your whole program.

The most important skill that I learned is time-management. Eight hours is a whole lot shorter than it sounds. Being Project-Manager in 2006 taught me that I really had to pay attention to time, what we were working on, and what needed to be done. The stress got to me a couple of times, but I learned to work through it and keep going until they said we were out of time. I also learned a lot about being on a team in a challenging situation. I learned to keep up a positive outlook no matter what might be going wrong.

Also in 2006, I received a scholarship award from Bank of America that has greatly benefited me in my college career.

The most memorable thing from my years participating with HSCC is all of the friends that I have made. I have met so many unforgettable people not only from Richmond, but from across the country. I have friends in Milwaukee, Chicago, Dayton, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and even Canada that I would never have gotten the chance to meet if it were not for BDPA. All in all, BDPA has given me lasting memories, lasting friends, and lasting skills that I will continue to use throughout my life.

My most memorable experience was in LA. First of all, we placed 6th in the competition this past year. As Project Manager, I was very happy for myself and for my team. I learned more about myself and my team, and we formed a friendship that is going to last for a long time. To celebrate, our coordinator took us around LA and to Santa Monica Beach. Everybody has a dream of going to California, seeing the Hollywood sign, going down Rodeo Drive, and living like a star. My dream came true. As we rode into Beverly Hills, I was all smiles. Going down Rodeo Drive made me realize ‘I want to be able to shop here one day.’ The whole LA experience was amazing."

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This young sister has been engaged in BDPA youth education programs since she was 12-years old! She has been able to travel all over the country as a result of her ties to BDPA. Isn't it time that you made a donation to BDPA Education & Technology Foundation so that other young people can participate in 2008!

In the meantime, are their any Richmond chapter members here that want to share some insights on Karole with us? Heck, someone tell Karole to come over and leave her online signature by using the POST A COMMENT feature!

HSCC Testimonial: Syed Azfar (Boston Metrowest)

One of the powerful aspects of the BDPA experience is the work we do with young people. We seek to introduce young people to technology at a young age so that they have an option of creating a future for themselves in the information technology (IT) industry.

Here is the story of a young man, Syed Azfar, who participated in the student IT education & scholarship (SITES) program hosted by BDPA Boston Metrowest chapter back in 2004:

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Before I joined BDPA in 2004, I did not know anything about developing websites. All I did on the computer was play games and instant message with friends. It all changed when I joined the BDPA Boston Metrowest chapter. Every Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, we met in Cambridge, MA and started going over HTML. It did not take me long to develop an interest in creating websites. As soon as the first session was over, I went home and started writing codes from the HTML book that I received from the program. The examples given in the book allowed me to understand the basics, which helped me to merge it into a website. During the next few months, we learned how to create databases and connect website to it in order to view and save information.

After months of training, it was time to put it to the test. We flew down to Dallas, Texas for three days to participate in the high school computer competition. The competition took place in two parts.

The first part was the oral, where we answered questions on the history of the information technology (IT) industry and the organization.

The second part involved developing a website for a video company. The website would need to access a database of movies and based on the query would need to provide the results. We only had 8 hours to complete this task. Looking around the massive room, it was evident that the next couple of hours would test our knowledge and our focus. After we were done with the competition, we were encouraged to attend the seminars given by IT professionals on different topics ranging from the new structures of developing websites to emerging technologies to the future growth of the IT field.

Attending that BDPA conference was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had and to this day I am still part of BDPA and I encourage young students to join this great organization. I am very fortunate to have learned about this organization and to be part of it.

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Syed Azfar is currently a student at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) majoring in Electrical/Computer Engineering. He is a web development fanatic who loves using new technologies to enhance his web skills. He created his own company to develop websites for his clients.

If you enjoyed this testimonial ... please take a moment to do one of two things. Either use the COMMENTS option below and share your thoughts with us *or* support our efforts to train more young people like Syed by making a secure online donation to the BDPA Foundation!

HSCC Alumni Earn the BDPA Scholarships Sponsored by Bank of America

The BDPA Foundation is proud to announce two winners of the 2008 BDPA Scholarships sponsored by Bank of America.

Lee Reed (Walter Payton College Prep '08) and Kunle Roberts (Mayo Senior High School '08) selected by the Bank of America scholarship committee to each receive $2,500 scholarship that may be used to pursue an information technology related degree at an accredited two or four-year college or university of their choice.

Lee Reed is a 4-time member of the national BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by our BDPA Chicago chapter. Lee's team won the 2006 national championship and followed up the next year with a bronze medal in the 2007 championship. Lee plans to attend the University of Michigan later this year.

Kunle Roberts is a 2-time member of the national HSCC team trained by our BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter. Kunle's team won the 2007 national championship after taking home the silver medal in the 2006 championship. Kunle plans to attend Rice University later this year.

The BDPA Scholarship sponsored by Bank of America recognizes outstanding students of color, with an interest in information technology who make significant contributions to society. Applicants must excel academically, show exceptional leadership potential and make an impact through service to their communities.

Our understanding is that both Lee and Kunle will use their BDPA Scholarships to supplement benefits from the academic institution a student plans to attend and fellowships from other foundations or organizations. Students may use the scholarship to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, room and board and other college-related expenses.

Please take a moment to share some BDPA love with both Lee and Kunle for their outstanding achievements!

BDPA Scholarships Sponsored by Bank of America

Deadline Extended Until June 30, 2008 for applications!

Do you know any BDPA student members graduating from high school this year in need of a $2,500 scholarship??
The BDPA Education & Technology Foundation joins with Bank of America to award up to six BDPA scholars with a one-time $2,500 scholarship that may be used to pursue an information technology related degree at an accredited school of your choice.

The purpose of the BDPA Scholarship sponsored by Bank of America is to recognize outstanding high school senior students of color who have an interest in information technology. We are looking for high school seniors that make significant contributions to society, excel academically, show exceptional leadership potential and make an impact through service to their communities.

The $2,500 scholarship may be used to supplement benefits from the academic institution a student plans to attend and fellowships from other foundations or organizations. Students may use the scholarship to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, room and board and other college-related expenses.

Scholarship winners will be selected based on application, essay, and letters of recommendation. BDPA Scholars will be notified no later than June 16, 2008.

What are you waiting for? Share this information with any BDPA student how is graduating from high school this year!