Marcus Schumann Uses Bemley Scholarship to Study Computer Science at CSUDH

Marcus Schumann

Marcus Schumann earned a Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship as a member of the BDPA Los Angeles chapter. His High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team who won the silver medal at the 2013 BDPA Technology Conference. He plans to use his Bemley Scholarship at Cal State University at Dominguez Hills where he seeks to complete a major in Computer Science.

Marcus believes that having a degree in computer science would open up many job possibilities for the future. He joined BDPA Los Angeles chapter in 8th grade and that sparked his interest in coding and creating applications. Marcus believes that coding can be used to do just about everything. It is no secret that almost every job available today will require a programmer or computer scientist to help their company grow. In the modern age, technology rules our lives.

Marcus is African American and German heritage. He visited Germany twice with his family. During those visits Marcus noticed how tapped into technology the people are. Technology is valued highly in Germany. Technology and innovation can solve worldly problems. Marcus is also an avid gamer and loves to play video games. Marcus hopes to use his skills to work for the entertainment industry. He believes video games brings the player out of reality and lets them take a break from the stresses of the real world.

We asked Marcus to share his thoughts on BDPA:

"Before I joined the BDPA I did not know anything about what programming was. I only knew that I could go on websites and get information, I didn’t know how any of the web pages actually work. BDPA is the reason I am majoring in Computer Science today and I am so thankful towards my teachers.

Marcus Schumann and his 4 HSCC teammates!

On my first year at the BDPA chapter Los Angeles we went to competition as the HSCC in Washington D.C. It was a great experience I saw famous monuments and our team got second place out of all the chapters for our website application. Our team was top notch, we had a great connection that drove our team forward and to push to the limits. Participating in the HSCC was such as great experience for me, I learned how to work under pressure, present our project to people, and work well with others. Before the competition I had always been afraid of presenting in front of people. Now, the fear is still there but I am able to push through it and speak in front of an audience.

I miss the team we had and the great people I met. The HSCC was something I will never forget. I learned some much and we worked so hard to get second place that year. The experiences and connections I made at the HSCC is it’s own award and it taught me valuable lessons that will last me a lifetime. Thank you for giving me that opportunity."

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

BDPA Los Angeles High School Computer Competition (2013)

BDPA's Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program is flourishing in Southern California. BDPA Los Angeles chapter is training 47 middle- and high-school students representing 29 area schools this year. Course topics include HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL.

Front row:  Pooja Cheboulu, Desirai Lewis, Monique Muepo, Autum Alexander,
Justice Mozell-Guy, Fariahn Morris, Marcus Schumann

Second row:  Amir Rose-Aminifu, Tiana Dollison, Jaylin Gant, Paige Soloman,
Jada McKeney, Cierra Crooms, Cardan Mikes, Matthew Dollison, Morgan Gant, Steven Moreno

Third row:  Steven Zavala, Ryan Beheshti, Trayer Harvey, Austin Jackson-DeYoung,
C’Terra Carter, Ahmir Wilson, Justin Witt, Daniel Beheshti, Miles Williams, Lafiate Germeille Jr.

Not pictured:  Adonai Alexander, Nicholar Banks, Emari Bennett, Jaylin Blannon, Akil Brown,
Elijah Drew, Ajhanae Favors, Thomas Hamilton, Kayla Miller, Brendan Nwokekoro,
Rahman Oladipupo, Shawn Pugh-Molina, Aisja Snaders, Giovanni Smith Jr, Khalia Taylor,
Jordan Tortes-Barker, Maya Washington

This year BDPA Los Angeles chapter introduced cloud computing and mobile development to its program. The class is led by two experienced IT professionals - Temitope Sonuyi and John C. Malonson III. California State University, Dominguez Hills and BDPA Los Angeles created a strategic partnership that allows for this hands-on training to take place on a university campus. Many of the students take advantage of this strategic partnership to earn college credit for the course taught by BDPA volunteers.

Five of these students will earn the right to represent Los Angeles in the 2013 National BDPA High School Computer Competition championship taking place this month in Washington DC. Please help us help these young people by making a secure online donation to support the Brandon Gardner Memorial Scholarship Fund.