Grant Proposal: HSBC (National BDPA)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked closely with the officers of the National BDPA to submit a grant proposal to the HSBC seeking $25,000 for the 2018 Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.  We should get an answer within a couple of months.

BETF is willing to work with any of the 46 local BDPA chapters to obtain the funding that they need to successfully deliver their 2018 SITES program. Simply reach out to the BETF executive director if you have questions or wish to discuss further.

BDPA Commends Fifth Third Bank on $5,000 Grant

BDPA Cincinnati and its fundraising arm, BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF), commends Fifth Third Bank for their generous $5,000 grant.

Karen Lipscomb, BDPA Cincinnati Vice President of Member Services said, “Fifth Third Bank has been a staunch champion of BDPA for a number of years, contributing to the chapter financially as well as through the gift of resources. We look forward to a continuing relationship in which, through this partnership, we develop and retain IT talent for the greater Cincinnati area.”

Located in Cincinnati, Fifth Third Bank became the first financial institution in the United States to establish a charitable foundation. They are committed to actively engaging individuals and community groups to affect positive change and continue to invest time, resources, and people to help improve lives in the communities they serve.

BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp Coordinator Frank Hill states, "Investing time and treasure in young people today will yield leaders, mentors and innovators needed to guarantee a brighter tomorrow for all of us. I rejoice each time I get a message about the latest successes of BDPA alumni!"

BDPA was founded in 1975 by Earl Pace and David Wimberly to close the digital divide for underrepresented minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. BDPA has over 40 chapters nationwide with more than 2,500 STEM professional and student members. BDPA offers over $100,000 in scholarships annually to hundreds of high school and college students who wish to pursue STEM careers.

For more information on BDPA or a sponsorship, please contact BDPA’s corporate sponsorship program at (301) 584-3135 ext.108 or corpsales@bdpa.org. Additionally, please visit www.bdpa.org.

Grant Declination * Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation (Milwaukee)

BDPA Milwaukee chapter and BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) received a declination letter from the Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation. They declined our grant proposal seeking $5,000 for the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program.

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The declination letter read:

Dear Mr. Hicks,

The Directors of the Foundation have reviewed your request for financial support for the SITES program and regret we will be unable to contribute to your organization. Our decision was not based on any deficiency in either the information you provided us or the worthiness of the request, but rather our determination was based upon the funds available for grants this year.

We wish you success in your endeavors.

Sincerely,
Margaret T. Lund, President

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BETF will continue to seek out funding for BDPA Milwaukee chapter. If you wish to help the chapter then we encourage you to make a donation to the BDPA Milwaukee chapter fund!

BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp Orientation (2017)

Frank Hill (Cincinnati State) lead the BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp Orientation on January 14, 2017. There were over 30 people in attendance for the orientation including four of our past High School Computer Competition (HSCC) students. BDPA Cincinnati plans to host the computer camp for the next 13 weeks thru April 8, 2017.

Here is the deck that Frank used at the orientation:

BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp Orientation (2017) from Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio

Frank reminded the audience,

"All, for my 18th consecutive year with BDPA, I got to interact with a new group of talented students with a bright future in front of them. I personally get a lot of energy and hope for the future when I work with young students. I additionally get joy when I see them succeed in life. BDPA can't take all of the credit for this, however, I think we are a building block. Adam Goines, one of our students last year and a freshman at University of Dayton, just got his first patent. Adam's mother who is an administrator at Cincinnati State introduced me to him two years ago. He stopped by my classroom a number of times to discuss technical projects that he was working on. Last year he joined the camp and received our training. We still have discussions on how to use micro-controllers for his projects at the University of Dayton.

For many Black students, we are the next best thing to getting a "leg-up" in a ever increasing technological society. The robot revolution will be in full force within the next five years. The great discussion about how to keep traditional manufacturing jobs in the USA is futile. I say this a lot to my students at Cincinnati State. The entire world is on a path to automation and our population is behind the curve.

I see my role for my remaining time on the earth as helping people, especially young people with the transition. I encourage all of you to make that direct connection with young lives. It makes a big difference in how they turn-out in life. I had people perform that function for me and for the past 40 years, I have had a strong desire to "pay it forward". Lastly BDPA is the organization that performs this function best. I checked!"

You can help these students by making a secure online donation in support of BDPA Cincinnati! We hope you can schedule some time to visit these students over the coming Saturdays. Just click here to let us know you'll be in attendance!

National BDPA Mobile Application Showcase

Mobile Application Showcase Winners & Sponsors

The National BDPA Mobile App Showcase, co-sponsored by McDonald's, State Farm Insurance and WWT, allows student application developers the opportunity to participate in a competition that allows them to an opportunity to test their talents against others and develop a working, functional mobile application, at no cost to themselves. The applications being showcased will represent three different application categories (i.e. business, personal productivity, and gaming). Each category will have stringent requirements to be met in advance to the showcase.

College and high school students have the opportunity to participate in this 2-day event in conjunction with the 2017 National BDPA Technology Conference held in Cincinnati, OH. The focus of this event includes development on Android and iOS smartphone operating systems.

Each student's projects will be judged in two major categories and four sub-categories. The competition and showcase are open to high school and college students. Their projects will be assessed by a panel of judges prior to the conference. Monetary awards sponsored by State Farm will be given to the top high school and college participants. The awards will be presented at the awards presentation during the 2017 National BDPA Technology Conference Banquet Ceremony. Each participant will be recognized with a Certificate of Participation for their effort.

National BDPA Mobile Application Showcase

Grant Award: Christ Church Cathedral ($15,000)

Christ Church Cathedral

BDPA Cincinnati Chapter is pleased to announce that it won a $15,000 Christ Church Cathedral grant award for its Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. The funds will be used to sustain the interest of disadvantaged young people in science and technology. BDPA introduces computers and basic software programming to underserved young people in the Cincinnati Public School system and local colleges and universities. 80% of the US jobs created in the next decade will require math and science skills. The average salary of STEM employees is 70% higher than all other occupations. Student interest is simply too low in science, technology, education and math (STEM) areas. 84% of middle school students say that they would rather clean their room, eat their vegetables, go to the dentist or take out the garbage than learn math or science.

BDPA will use the Christ Church Cathedral funding to respond to these troubling statistics with the SITES program that teaches advance computer science and community responsibility to students from disadvantaged communities. The centerpiece of the SITES program is the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) that is taught at the BDPA computer camp on Saturdays. BDPA is reaching out to 8th-12th graders to participate in the computer camp. Youngsters are encouraged to apply online at www.bdpa-camp.org and attend the orientation session on Saturday, January 9, 2016 at Cincinnati State.

“BDPA Cincinnati Chapter is extremely grateful to Christ Church Cathedral for their $15,000 grant in support of the BDPA mission to improve the number of minorities interested and engaged in technology within greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky,” says BDPA Cincinnati chapter president Dalric Webb. “Christ Church Cathedral has been a long time supporter of the BDPA mission and through their support, the BDPA Cincinnati team of volunteers has been able to make a positive impact on engaging youth and professionals within our community to more opportunities in the technology field”.

2015 BDPA Cincinnati SITES Students

The 2016 SITES students will participate in a 30-week computer camp program and become eligible for the Brandon Berry Memorial Scholarship. Out of the program, five students will be selected to represent Cincinnati in the National BDPA HSCC championship held on August 10-13, 2016 in Atlanta, GA.

BDPA is the premier organization for African American professionals in the information technology industry. For more than 25 years, BDPA Cincinnati has fulfilled its mission and worked to bridge the digital divide by providing career growth opportunities for its members. BDPA Cincinnati is the largest and fastest-growing of the 47 chapters that exist around the nation.

For more information on the SITES program or BDPA Cincinnati chapter, call (513) 549-6991 or email cincinnati@bdpa.org.

Seeking Students for BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp

2015 BDPA Cincinnati Computer Camp

BDPA Computer Camp is recruiting students in the greater Cincinnati area for its 2016 program. The program helps students explore the world of information technology, while laying a solid foundation for future collegiate and professional careers. The program has an intensive training curriculum for 8th – 12th grade students. The program prepares students to compete in the Regional and the National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) annually.

All new and previous students, as well as their parents or guardian, should meet with the BDPA Computer Camp committee on January 9, 2016 from 9 am – 2 pm. Please click here to apply.

BDPA High School Computer Camp (Cincinnati) from Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio

Please email bdpa-camp@bdpa-cincy.org for more information and details! Or you can call BDPA Cincinnati chapter on (513) 549-6991.

Letter of Inquiry: Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation (BDPA Milwaukee)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) worked with BDPA Milwaukee chapter to submit a letter of inquiry (LOI) to the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. We asked for permission to submit a $10,000 grant proposal to support the 2016 Student Information Technology & Education (SITES) program planned for implementation in Wisconsin. BDPA Milwaukee chapter continues to grow in terms of the number of students impacted by their programs.

The Bradley Foundation requires two steps in their application process. First, the applicant should prepare a brief LOI to the Grant Program, describing the applying organization and its intended project. If the Foundation determines the project to be within the current program interests as determined by its Board of Directors, the applicant will be invited to submit a formal proposal.

Now we wait to hear what they say. However, you can help. Please consider making a secure online donation in support of our BDPA Milwaukee chapter!

SITES Program (New Jersey, 2015)

BDPA New Jersey and Bloomfield College Coders Camp introduced middle- and high-school students to information technology via the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. Students participate in 3-hour sessions on Saturdays starting in February to learn application development, database design and web development. The top performing students get the opportunity to compete regionally as well as at the National BDPA Technology Conference. Bloomfield College provide lab space and college students serve as volunteer peer-coaches. These college students also have the opportunity to participate in the technology showcases and Career Fair during the annual conference.

BDPA New Jersey is two weeks away from taking seven students to the annual technology conference being held in Washington DC on August 19-22, 2015. The students will be competing in the High School Computer Competition Program.

The chapter raised 80% of the funds needed but they still need your assistance with the last 20% to ensure that their students can go to Washington DC. The funds are needed to cover lodging and transportation costs. Please make an online donation today of $25 or $50, to BDPA New Jersey Chapter. BDPA is a 501c3 organization approved by IRS so your donation is tax deductible. Please invest in our students as they invest in their future.

If you have any questions you can contact Coram Rimes, BDPA New Jersey parent-student liaison by phone (973.367-1878) or email (coram.rimes@bdpa.org). BDPA is a diverse organization that contributes to the development of professionals in the Information Technology industry and to extend this knowledge and experience to others in their respective communities.

SITES Team (Chicago, 2015)

BDPA Chicago is the 2nd-largest chapter in the nation, however, they are making a top-ranked effort to provide meaningful STEM-based training for young people it the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. The SITES program teaches 5th through 12th grade students to create web applications using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL, Ajax, and PHP. In addition to technical topics, BDPA Chicago students are coached in effective study habits, presentation skills, professionalism, and leadership.

The top five students in the SITES program will be invited to represent the chapter and the city in the 2015 National BDPA High School Computer Competition championship. Students are judged on participation, homework, and test scores will participate in the national competition.   BDPA Chicago has produced HSCC champions in the past ... can they repeat as champions in 2015?

Back row (L-R):  Richard Alvarez, Lorenzo Bautista, Rakim Verner, Tyrese Cook, DeVaughn Welch, 

Martin Salazar, Abraham Valle, Bernard “Tre” Dickens (trainer/alumni)

Front Row (L-R):  Hadiyah Muhammad, Cassandra Rivera

BDPA Chicago students are encouraged to pursue post-secondary education, be the best that they can be, and encourage others to do the same.

SITES Team (Charlotte, 2015)

BDPA Charlotte chapter has been working its Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) program very hard in 2015. The chapter has introduced middle school and high school students to the concepts of information technology and professional development. Students participate in training sessions that entail creating dynamic web sites using ASP.Net and use of common HTML tags for text formatting. An emphasis has been placed on the .NetC programming language for implementing application logic and connecting to external resources such as databases. Professional development includes business etiquette, speech and exploration of careers in technology.

This is a photo of students engaged in the Saturday computer camp offered by BDPA Charlotte chapter:

Front Row: Christian Ceesay, Dhemonie Teague, Alex Rodriguez, Alexis Belton
Back Row: Bryant Donald, Dequan Bryant, Mariam Adam, Issa Adam, Jeremy Barber Jr., Kayla Fant
Not Pictured: Oliver Mollay, Julius Clark, Candace Clark, Kasaam Lytle, Anthony Vasquez

Please consider supporting these young people as the chapter seeks to fund their college scholarships. You can make a secure online donation today!

High School Computer Competition Team (Atlanta, 2015)

BDPA Atlanta uses its Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program to teach high school students how to create Web Applications using the following programming languages; HTML, CSS, SQL, MySQL, and PHP.



BDPA SITES students learn how to code. They also receive coaching regarding their personal and professional development. BDPA Atlanta volunteer works with students on team building, public speaking, time management, presentation skills and goal setting. The chapter seeks to equip, encourage and enlighten its students for current and future opportunities in the IT industry.

Maurice Weston, Majazz Allah, Madeline Veira, Evan Marable, Lloyd Alexander, Jamal Musa

Jonecia Trice, Akilah Weston, Suntheng Taing, Nicolas Badila, Austin Marable

Not in the Picture: Yash Shirsath, Zaria Brown, Jordan Thompson

BDPA Atlanta chapter has a strong legacy in the national championship having won the entire thing in 2012. The chapter now plans to take a new group of youngsters to Washington DC to compete the 30th annual National BDPA HSCC championship.

You can help BDPA Atlanta chapter with a secure online donation! The next step is yours. What say u?

Seeking Community Grant from Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati

Christ Church Cathedral

BDPA Cincinnati chapter worked with BDPA Education and Technology Foundation to submit a $15,000 grant proposal to Christ Church Cathedral.   BDPA responded to a solicitation of proposals from worthy organizations on a proposal that will provide services to disadvantaged children and youth.

The funding will support the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarships program hosted by BDPA Cincinnati chapter that includes Saturday computer camps and participation in national High School Computer Competition, IT Showcase and the Mobile Application Showcase.   BDPA is very proud of its volunteers who work to give students the skills that they need to be successful in a world that is more and more reliant on technology.

The next step is for the church to evaluate our proposal and make a recommendation to the Vestry grants from the Mission Fund.

Message from Midwest Region Vice President

Michael & Elizabeth Wulf

Greetings Midwest Presidents!

Many of you know my wife, Elizabeth, and I raised money by doing www.Ride4Charity.org. We created a unique way to raise awareness and enough money towards establishing a BDPA learning management platform that is dedicated to broadening the reach of BDPA tech education out to the kids in the community. Initially to impact our youth ... then adults, veterans and so forth. This promise to you was also part of my campaign speech as Regional VP so our collaborative need to make delivery of BDPA services in education easier for you as a chapter leader.

We (a lot of people) have been very successful in establishing a Moodle LMS hosting environmentl  Now we are implementing a 10 week (20 module) set of courses.  For example, HTML, CSS and JavaScript modules make up one course.

We have branded this effort "BDPA Academy". The new website name is http://BDPA.Academy

BDPA Academy is NOT THE HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER COMPETITION (HSCC) in any way, shape or form. It is a set of courses that can be used as a feeder to HSCC over time by harvesting excited students interested in deepening their options, education, and career in programming. It is a great way to engage new learners and give them options in IT.

It is also intended to help chapters establish a consistent & sustainable SITES program without losing intellectual training property every time a volunteer turns over. It is also a way to provide membership value and add to the many BDPA opportunities to donate and join.

Here is our roll-out schedule:

• Spring 2015: we introduce Level 1-HTML/CSS/JavaScript.

• Fall 2015:  we build out a Level 2-JavaScript, algorithm, database - type course and release it for Spring 2016. Yet another HSCC prep course for you to leverage.

• Spring 2016: we offer a Level 3 set of language and application integration courses that you could use to identify your future participants for either the comprehensive SITES program or the more specific HSCC program.  Level 3 focus would be on C#, PhP and Java.

• Fall 2016: we will seek certification either from the IT industry or self-certification. The curriculum will leverage resources that provide certificates (such as W3Schools).  Chapters or students may initially select to subsidize these certificates but we hope current efforts by some chapters will help refine and deliver this collaboratively in time.

The beauty of BDPA Academy is we'll also expand offerings beyond just programming to facilitate other areas of IT ...  such as cyber security, infrastructure, hardware, OS, mobile tech, Google, office productivity and more.

This is your personal invitation to join the February 2015 launch.

What we need to deploy the BDPA Academy in your chapter is as simple as 1-2-3:

1. A physical location with 5-10 computers
2. A truly dependable and dedicated teacher with HTML/CSS experience *and* an assistant.
3. A willingness to "facilitate learning" of the curriculum and provide feedback along the way to BDPA Academy so we can refine and create a rock solid platform for national release in 2016.

If your SITES program is already solid then please keep up the awesome work! If you think there is value for your SITES program, this could be part of a two-year strategy to build a great program and feed HSCC team.

If your SITES program is solid ... but you struggle with a pipeline of students each year or have a willing volunteer teacher but no course structure then consider taking this out to a community center like a Boys & Girls club and use it to impact even more youth. This will deepen their membership passion and value as BDPA.

We hope to enroll 100 new students in the 2015 BDPA Academy.   We want to double that number to 1,000 in the 2016 BDPA Academy.

This invite is sent to Midwest presidents for the launch year. As your regional officers, it is extremely important Eric and I provide you with options and opportunities to grow and strengthen your chapter. Many of you as well as other leaders in BDPA have shared this vision. Eric and I are proud to be in our roles to see this through as your regional team.

Please contact me directly (michael.wulf@bdpa.org) if you have questions or wish to discuss further.  I'm very interested to know if you think this is of interest within your chapter!

Michael Wulf, vice president
BDPA Midwest Region
Twitter: @MichaelGWulf

BDPA Cincinnati Launches 2015 Technology Initiative for High School Students

BDPA Cincinnati chapter announces the opening of the 2015 Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program. The SITES program offers cutting edge technology training to areas High School and College Students. 2015 is the 19th year for SITES program in Cincinnati. The program will begin on January 10, 2015 at Cincinnati State Technical College. Students can preview the program content and complete the application for training sessions on the www.bdpa-camp.org web site.

The SITES program contains four (4) opportunities for students to win college scholarships:

Computer Camp - a disciplined 13 week program for students in 8th thru 12th grades. The computer camp covers Visual Basic Applications, Mobile Phone Applications, Web Development, Programming Automation Controllers, Robotics, 3D Printing, Internet Of Things, Information Technology Theory, Computer History, and Professional Development. This training provides students with IT theory and hands-on activities as well as exposure to leading technical professionals in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky areas.

High School Computer Competition (HSCC) - National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) was founded in 1986. It's designed to introduce our youth to the field of Information Technology, challenge their learnings, encourage them to seek higher levels of education, and groom many of them to become our next generation of IT professionals. HSCC is a 28-week program that prepares students to compete in a 3-part competition (oral, written and programming) that demonstrates IT prowess. Students are taught to master ASP.NET Programming, JavaScript Programming, Structured Query Language (SQL), MySQL Database and Microsoft Visual Studio in a succinct and efficient manner. Students are coached on working effectively in teams, team building, leadership, and academic discipline. The top performers in this competition are awarded college scholarships at the National BDPA Conference in addition to any local chapter recognition or awards.

IT Showcase - The BDPA Information Technology (IT) Showcase allows high school (and college) students to present and demonstrate their research. The presentations represent advanced computing and technical topics presented to an audience of African American PhDs. Top students are awarded college scholarships at the National BDPA Conference.

Mobile Application Showcase - The National BDPA Mobile Application Showcase allows students to test their talents developing a working Mobile Application that can run on an Android platform. The applications being showcased represent business, personal productivity or gaming. Each category will have stringent requirements to be met in advance to the showcase. The top winners of this showcase are awarded college scholarships at the National BDPA Conference.

BDPA Cincinnati students earned $16,525 in college scholarships during 2014. BDPA seeks new high school students in each of these programs in 2015. Contact the chapter by email (cincinnati@bdpa.org), phone (513.549-6991) or the web (www.bdpa-camp.org) for more details.

Who and What is BETF?

WHO IS BETF?
BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF or BDPA Foundation) is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity, founded in 1992 to support the education and technology programs of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA).

BETF recognizes that to close the gap of computer and technology literacy, youth of African descent must participate and compete in today’s digital economy. We want students from historically disadvantaged communities to learn advanced computer science and community responsibility from any of the BDPA chapters located around the nation.

WHAT DOES BETF DO?
In 1986, we began developing high school youth for future entrance into the IT industry through the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. Annually, we train up to 900 of these students in after-school computer camps on the latest computer and Internet website developing languages as well as the much-needed industry knowledge and presentation skills.

In addition to the computer camps, we encourage each of the BDPA chapters to bring 5-person teams to the annual BDPA Technology Conference to demonstrate the skills they have learned. The students from the best-performing teams at this annual High School Computer Competition (HSCC) earn Jesse Bemley Scholarships that they can use for post-secondary education. We are very proud of the alumni from this annual program.

Recently, the BDPA Foundation created an Endowment fund with the intent of increasing the number and size of the scholarships awarded these students. The scholarships target our young people seeking a degree in Information Technology or related discipline at accredited colleges or universities. The local BDPA chapters assist and encourage future IT Professionals through college and into the IT Industry. We ask these HSCC alumni to come back and help train the next group of SITES participants. This cycle comprises our “Classroom to the Boardroom” concept.

BETF is led by a powerful and innovative board of directors. However, we are fueled by the donations made by supporters like you!

Grant Proposal: Chichester duPont Foundation ($22,654)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) partnered with BDPA New York to submit a grant proposal to the Chichester duPont Foundation seeking $22,654 funding for the chapter's Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. The objective of our SITES program in the New York area is to effectively use technology to stimulate and sustain the interest of young people in science and technology. BDPA New York chapter is actively working to address the technology disparity within our minority communities and close the gap towards improving the lives of those underserved in the areas where we live and work.

HSCC Team (NY, 2012)

This is the first joint grant proposal BETF has worked with BDPA New York chapter president Tyrone McKinney. However, we look forward to working with Tyrone and his leadership team to obtain all the funding that they need to support their 2015 SITES program. We encourage the other 45 local BDPA chapters to take a moment to review available BETF grant and funding support. We also encourage those of you who know of the good works being done by BDPA to make a secure online donation in support of our programs, scholarships and services!

In the meantime, wish us luck with the folks at the Chichester duPont Foundation!

Related articles

• PR.com, 6/13/2013 (BDPA New York)
• BDPA New York Receives Award at the 2013 National Conference
• BDPA New York Receives Multiple Awards at the 2012 National Conference

Cincinnati Students Prepare to Compete at National BDPA STEM-based Championships

L-R: Brian Pulliam, Hasani Harrigan, Deborah Prince, Frank Hill, Austin Murph, Jon Carr and Yaw Asante.

BDPA Cincinnati chapter is sending six students to the 2014 BDPA Technology Conference to compete in the National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship, IT Showcase and Mobile Application Showcase.   These young people will leave Cincinnati on Wednesday, August 6, 2014 and our scheduled to return back to the Queen City on Sunday, August 10, 2014.

Itobore Odje

Itobore Odje represents Cincinnati in the 1st annual BDPA Mobile Applications Showcase. She is currently a student at the University of Cincinnati.

Brian Pulliam is an alumni of the HSCC program, finishing as high as 5th place in the 2013 National BDPA Technology conference. He is currently a freshman at Sinclair College. This year Brian provides moral support to the HSCC team while he competes for the first time in the BDPA IT Showcase. He plans to present on the topic, 'Telepresence Robotics in the Military'.

The four high school students that will represent the chapter at the National BDPA HSCC championship next month are new to the game. However, they are powerful coders who will do well. Cincinnati Bell sponsored the BDPA membership dues of the four students listed below as well as Brian Pulliam! Share some love for our 2014 HSCC team:

1. Yaw Asante is a sophomore at Walnut Hills High School. His interests are medical science, computer science and law. This is Yaw’s first year with competing in the HSCC championship.
   
   
2. Jon Carr is a freshman at St. Xavier High School. Jon likes computers, robotics and video games. This is Jon's first year with competing in the HSCC championship.
   
   
3. Hasani Harrigan is a junior at Seven Hills High School. Hasani likes music, engineering and is an outstanding baseball player. Hasani is the leader of the HSCC squad this year based on his prior experiences in both the 2012 and 2013 HSCC championships held in Baltimore and Washington DC, respectively.
   
   
4. Austin Murph is a sophomore at Seven Hills High School. His interests are golf, engineering and video games. This is Austin's first year with competing in the HSCC championship.
   
   

BDPA Cincinnati chapter is very proud of its Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship program.  

Deborah Prince (xpedx) and Frank Hill (Hiltronics Computer Associates) both dedicated untold hours to training these young people each Saturday from January thru July at the computer labs of Cincinnati State Technical College.

We need your support to move forward! Can you take a moment to make a secure online donation towards college scholarships for these STEM-centric young people? Just click here -- www.crowdrise.com/BDPACincinnati -- and help us as we try to help them!

Related articles

• HSCC Student Spotlight: BDPA Cincinnati