Bemley Scholar Daniel Rothchild Heads to Ivory Towers of Harvard University

Daniel Rothchild

BDPA Detroit chapter has a proud legacy of building leaders and outstanding information technology talent through its annual participation in the National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships.

One of the very special young people who went through the BDPA Detroit chapter Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program for three years is Daniel Rothchild. Daniel earned Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship funding of $4,000 for his high-performance in the HSCC championships during 2009, 2010 and 2011. He plans to use that funding to help defray the costs of attending Harvard University!

Daniel has lived for most of his life in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He trained with BDPA Detroit chapter for three years and was a key member of HSCC teams that placed in 2nd place (2009, 2011) and 4th place (2010) on a national level. He graduated from high school in 2013 and is considering a degree in a computer-related field when he attends Harvard University.

Daniel was a guest on the BDPA iRadio Show in the past.  We asked Daniel to once again share his thoughts about BDPA. Here is what he had to say:

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"I participated in the HSCC program for three years, and my experience preparing for and competing at the national competition has had a tremendous impact on me. First and foremost, I learned the programming language Java intimately through my years of practical, hands-on experience. Though reading books on programming and taking computer science classes are helpful, nothing has prepared me better for programming in Java than the experiences I gained through BDPA.

I also learned to work as part of a team. Every member has his or her strengths, and I learned how to participate effectively as a member of a team by taking into account the strengths of other team members ... and dividing the work accordingly. I am sure this skill will be invaluable for me when I enter the workforce.

The skills I learned through my participation in BDPA have already been incredibly useful for me. This summer, I am working at a company where I need to write programs in Java ... which is the language that BDPA taught me during the HSCC training process. I am sure these skills will continue to be invaluable to me as I progress through college and beyond.

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Daniel is the first BDPA student to use his Bemley Scholarship for attendance at Harvard University. I look forward to watching this young man as he progresses through his college and professional career. I hope that he is able to connect with our BDPA Boston chapter over the next four years that he is in Massachusetts!

President Profile: La Donna Crum (BDPA Greater Birmingham)

BDPA Greater Birmingham chapter was chartered in August 2002.  The chapter is a key element of our BDPA South Region and a past host of a quarterly National BDPA Board of Directors meeting.  The future looks bright for BDPA Greater Birmingham as they welcome on board the newest chapter president -- La Donna Crum.

La Donna Crum, President
BDPA Greater Birmingham Chapter

Address: P.O. Box 10341
Birmingham, AL 35205
(205) 504-1438

La Donna shared her BDPA story with us:

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My vision for BDPA Greater Birmingham Chapter over the next couple of years under my presidency is to promote membership, obtain sponsorship and build a competitive High School Computer Competition team. I feel strongly that we can offer community service, participate in local technology events and educate our community on Information Technology (IT). I envision our chapter becoming a pillar within our community for the IT industry; to become a household name and to prepare our youth people to become IT professionals.

HER FAVORITE QUOTE: 'Each One Should Teach One!'

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Please use the POST COMMENT link below to share some BDPA-Love with the president our BDPA Greater Birmingham chapter!

Related articles

• Long Story Short: LaDonna Crum (BDPA Greater Birmingham)
• BDPA iRadio Show - March 25, 2014

BlueCross BlueShield of Michigan Receives Diversity Award from BDPA

BlueCross BlueShield of Michigan (BCBSM) has been honored by National BDPA with a 2013 Epsilon Award for its diversity programs.

"It is an honor for Information Technology to be recognized by the BDPA," said Gary Harvey, vice president, Information Technology. "Receiving this award is another example of IT’s commitment to foster and promote a diverse and inclusive culture. My thanks to those who have volunteered to work on, or with, our Diversity Advisory Council over the last several years. It is their efforts that are truly being recognized."

Past winners of the honor include Health Care Service Corporation, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Merck, Wal-Mart, WellPoint and Wells Fargo.

"We congratulate Information Technology and the Diversity Advisory Council on receiving this award for their efforts to embed diversity and inclusion at the business-unit level," said Amal Berry-Brown, senior director of BCBSM’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. "IT has been an exemplary partner in embracing diversity and in engaging their leaders and employees by implementing a division mentoring program, creating a job shadowing program and recognizing employees’ efforts for their diversity and inclusion activities through their divisional Diversity Branding Strategy."

The award will be presented Aug. 16 at the Dignitaries Reception during the National BDPA Technology Conference in Washington, D.C. The Epsilon Award qualifies BCBSM for further consideration to be named the BDPA Top Company for Blacks in Technology.

Since its inception in 1975, BDPA has been a strong advocate of promoting and advancing the interest and careers of African Americans in the field of Computer Science and Information Technology.

Cross-posted from Blues News (BCBSM Intranet newsletter)

This Week in BDPA (July 28 - August 3)

BDPA offers strong programs in 46 cities around the nation. Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Jul 28: BDPA Chicago - Seminar, 'Learn More About Virtualization, Linux, Security and Cisco' 
• Jul 30: BDPA Foundation - Webinar, 'BDPA iRadio Show'
• Aug 3: BDPA Cincinnati - Social, '12th Annual Jazz in the Park Festival'

Please let us know of other BDPA events 

that we may have missed! 

You can always find BDPA programs, services or networking activity online at places such as:

• BDPA Facebook Group
• BDPA Foundation Facebook Page
• BDPA Foundation Twitter Account
• BDPA LinkedIn Network Group

BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry. Our hope is that you find reasons to provide tax-deductible support to our Causes, our HSCC Scholarship Funds or Your Causes! We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events.

BDPA Greater Columbia High School Computer Competition Team (2013)

BDPA Greater Columbia chapter is one of the most remarkable local BDPA chapters in the nation. They have shown a commitment to providing meaningful STEM learning experiences for K-12 students in South Carolina. The training is conducted under the umbrella of the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. Chapter leaders and volunteers are offering seminars and workshops in web development (asp.net), programming (vb.net) databases (mysql), java script, system development life-cycle, web site story boarding and argile project management methodology. The students in the chapter's SITES program are also taken through a series of workshops in video creation and editing, creating web page profile, and oral presentations.

L-R:   Perry Cates, Jr., Kevin Rabinovich, Joel Schirmer, Cody Shearer, James Smith,
Jalil Peterman, Makayla Ishmal, Constance Elkins, and  Braxton Robinson
Not pictured: Horace Bookman, Brandon Elkins, Amber Goodman, Kayla Jackson,
Ashley Taylor, and Anthony Coleman.
Instructors: Kelvin Robinson and Alex Rabinovich

The funding for training these young people comes from corporate sponsors (BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and IT-oLogy), membership dues and supportive donors like yourself!

BDPA Detroit High School Computer Competition Team (2013)

BDPA Detroit chapter has a powerful legacy in its training of K-12 students. Hundreds of young people have participated in the chapter's Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program over the past quarter century.

That legacy continues in 2013! The SITES program in Detroit starts early in the year and concludes in mid-fall with an awards presentation. The training begins with teaching HTML, CSS, and JavaScript before moving to more intense training of J2EE technologies, Java programming, JSP & JSTL, JDBC/SQL, project management, time management and computer history knowledge.

1st row (L-R): Tonji Zimmerman (Coordinator/Trainer), Richard Session (Trainer),
Cortez Christian, Bradley Wise, Elizabeth Ho, Desiree Taylor
2nd row (L-R): Anthony Garrett-Leverett (Coordinator/Trainer),
Charles McIntosh II, Thomas Graves, Joseph Sigmon, Cameron Campbell
Students not in photo: Cameron Hughes, Howard Smith

BDPA Detroit chapter holds its SITES training sessions at Compuware headquarters office. Funding for the program comes from corporate sponsors (Compuware, General Motors and Trinity Health), membership dues and supporters like you!

Where Are They Now? Amiga

What it was: A remarkable line of personal computers, introduced by home PC pioneer Commodore in 1985, that delivered powerful multimedia and multitasking years before they became commonplace on PCs and Macs.

What happened: Well, you could fill a book with the details -- and hey, someone did. Commodore had superb technology, but did a terrible job of developing and marketing it. You could argue that Amiga would have petered out no matter who owned it -- even Apple flirted with death as DOS and then Windows overwhelmed other alternatives -- but Commodore’s decision-making sure didn’t help. In 1994, it declared bankruptcy and stopped making computers. The Amiga name went on to change hands at least four times over the next decade, sometimes being used on hardware, sometimes being used on software and sometimes just disappearing.

Current whereabouts: You can find Amiga lovers on Twitter. Amiga Inc, the current owner of the Amiga name, uses it on middleware for set-top boxes as well as games and other applications for cell phones (you can buy an Amiga tip calculator). It also says it’s still working on Amiga OS 4.0, a product so long in the making that it, like Harlan Ellison’s science-fiction anthology The Last Dangerous Visions, is best known for how long it’s been promised without ever appearing. As a former Amiga fanatic, I hope it does ship someday -- there’s no way a new Amiga OS wouldn’t be cooler than an Amiga tip calculator.

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SOURCE: 'Where Are They Now? 25 Computer Products That Refuse to Die' by Harry McCracken.

Global Agricultural Giant Monsanto Partners with BDPA

Monsanto was recently honored as one of FORTUNE Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. Of course, we think it is equally significant to note that Monsanto is one of the eleven 'corporations' to earn the 2013 Epsilon Award, denoting the 'Best Companies for Blacks In Technology'. Monsanto recently announced its Bronze Level corporate sponsorship of BDPA programs, scholarships and services nationally with an emphasis on the STEM-related work being done by the BDPA St. Louis chapter.

Craig Brown

"It is my honor to work with the Monsanto family and continue to grow and cultivate BDPA and the Monsanto partnership," stated Dr. Craig Brown, National BDPA Vice President. "In addition, I look forward to transforming our partnership into a ‘tradition’ where Monsanto employees and the members of its surrounding communities can continue to benefit from BDPA local chapter activities and the BDPA National Conference, year in and year out."

Monsanto’s commitment to preserving agriculture and improving lives is built on their challenge, "To meeting the needs today, while preserving the planet for tomorrow." Fully committed to Sustainable Agriculture, Fighting Rural Hunger, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Human Rights, Corporate Giving, America's Farmers, and Youth and Education, Monsanto is recognized as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens’ by CR Magazine, The Scientist 2010 Best Places to Work, and the Diversity Inc Top 50 Companies for Diversity. Globally, Monsanto employs over 21,000 workers in 66 countries at 404 different facilities.

Vincent Shorter

"My relationship with BDPA over the past three years has been both personally and professionally rewarding,” said Vincent Shorter, Monsanto IT director. “I am proud that Monsanto has continued its commitment to BDPA for over nine years. Whether sponsoring the local High School Computer Competition, presentations at the national conference, helping grow the local St. Louis chapter or offering $10,000 in scholarships, Monsanto has stepped up to the challenge. Now is the time to take advantage of the growth in IT and to leverage BDPA to increase opportunities for everyone from the classroom to the boardroom."

The sponsorship also includes $10,000 funding for the 1st annual Monsanto Scholarship for BDPA Students. This will provide scholarships to four young people who plan to study a STEM-related curriculum in college. The winners of this scholarship will be announced at the 35th annual BDPA Technology Conference on August 14-17, 2013 in Washington DC.

Wayne Hicks

Wayne Hicks, BETF executive director said, "My vision is for BDPA to award full-ride 4-year college scholarships to our young people interested in pursuing STEM careers. Monsanto moves us closer to that goal with the four college scholarships that they have funded with their 2013 sponsorship. Well done!"

BDPA is recognized nationally as a global member-focused technology organization with over 45 active chapters in the United States. BDPA continues to stand as a leader in delivering 21st century technological programs, college scholarships, mentoring, support and services for youth and adult IT professionals. For more information on 35th Annual National BDPA Technology Conference, contact Wayne Hicks, Director, BDPA Corporate Sales Department, corpsales@bdpa.org, (301) 584-3135.

BDPA Entrepreneurs Find Support on LinkedIn Network

Guest Blogger: Keith Warrick
BDPA LinkedIn Group Manager

The BDPA LinkedIn group has become the premier professional site destination for African American IT professionals and their supporters on LinkedIn with over 3,600 members worldwide.

The group added 6 subgroups in 2010 in order to manage its exploding growth and to address niche IT areas such as:

• Cloud Computing
• Content Management
• Healthcare IT
• Information Security
• Software Development
• Virtualization and Game Technology

Two others were created that address strategic and administrative areas of fundraising:

• BDPA Education and Technology Foundation
• BDPA IT Corps

Now we are pleased to announce that a ninth subgroup - BDPA Entrepreneurs - has joined the national BDPA LinkedIn group family.  The focus of this new subgroup will remain as before with the subgroup being a networking/training/business referral mechanism that provides various business related services to the entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs that make up its membership.

Membership is open to anyone who is a member of the BDPA LinkedIn group ... so what are you waiting for! Come join the BDPA Entrepreneurs subgroup if you own your own business or have aspirations of living the entrepreneur dream!

BDPA Dallas High School Computer Competition Team (2013)

BDPA Dallas chapter is doing some great things this year! These great things include the chapter's continued commitment to the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. The chapter has been very innovative in their STEM-based training for high school students. The training program uses both an online courses and face-to-face hands-on sessions to teach students how to design and build dynamic websites. The training takes place at South Oak Cliff High School. Up to five of the students in the SITES program may be invited to represent the city and chapter in the National BDPA High School Computer Competition championship taking place next month in Washington DC.

L-R: Emilio Ramos, Xavier Grandberry, Veronica Scott, Jaqueria Lacy and Quintin Neal.

Funding to support the SITES program in Dallas currently comes from BlueCross BlueShield of IL, NM, OK and TX, JPMorgan Chase, membership dues and generous supporters like you!

William E. Simon Foundation

Named after its principal benefactor, the William E. Simon Foundation supports programs that are intended to strengthen the free enterprise system and the spiritual values on which it rests: individual freedom, initiative, thrift, self-discipline and faith in God. The mission of the Foundation reflects the unique accomplishments of the individual for whom it is named, and the principles of a free society that have made these accomplishments possible.

The main charitable purpose of the Foundation is to assist those in need by providing the means through which they may help themselves. The charitable philosophy guiding the Foundation draws heavily on the thoughts expressed a century ago by Andrew Carnegie in The Gospel of Wealth, where he wrote,

"In bestowing charity, the main consideration should be to help those who will help themselves; to provide part of the means by which those who desire to improve may do so; to give those who desire to rise the aids by which they may rise; to assist, but rarely or never to do all."

In implementing this philosophy, the Foundation seeks to fund programs which are effective in promoting independence and personal responsibility among those in need.

In recognition of the fact that a good education is indispensable in today's world to open doors to opportunity and advancement, the Foundation seeks to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education, in particular in basic skills areas. The Foundation will support K-12 institutions that are alternatives to the traditional public system, as well as other organizations that encourage educational options and competition, with the goal of promoting broader education reform. This includes, but is not limited to, religious schools, other independent schools and charter schools, voucher programs, and policy research in the areas of education choice and reform.

140 East 45th Street
Suite 14D
New York, NY 10017
T: (212) 661-8366
F: (212) 661-9450
E: info@wesimonfoundation.org

BlackRock Seeks Diverse IT Candidates via BDPA Job Board

BDPA is very happy to report that BlackRock has purchased access to the BDPA Job Board.

BlackRock, one of the world's preeminent global investment and risk managers, is looking for talented individuals with the passion and energy to help them build a better financial future for each and every client that they serve. Join their extraordinary team, and build a better future for yourself, too.



BlackRock wants to share these career opportunities with BDPA members and supporters. Our hope is that all job seekers within the BDPA sphere of influence take a moment to register on the BDPA Job Board yet?

BDPA Chicago High School Computer Competition Team (2013)

BDPA encourages youth technology education for K-12 students all over the nation under the umbrella of its Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. One component of the SITES program in Chicago is the High School Computer Competition Club ... an intensive program designed to identify, select and foster the skills of middle- and high-school students that have an aptitude for computer programming.

Here is a photo of some of the 19 students engaged in the 2013 SITES program who are under the tutelage of BDPA Chicago chapter volunteers:

L-R: Leroy Cook, Jacob Williams, Nile Amudoaghan, Byron Wooden
Ian Crowder, Tyrese Cook, Julian Anderson, Malcom Range
Not Shown: Nathaniel Reese, Cassandra Bey, Kailyn Wade, Gabriel Reyes, Avery Manuel
Kelvin Steven Jr., Kierra Steven, Rakim Verner, Zachary Akers, Ryan Napre, Nick Cohn

The chapter's goal is to teach students how to use software solutions to solve business problems. Problem solving is emphasized throughout the training. In addition to learning a great deal of technology, the students will be coached on how to conduct themselves in a professional manner. They will learn how to analyze a problem, design and implement a solution. They will learn how to lead and participate as effective members of a team.

BDPA Chicago wants to provide college scholarships to the highest-performing students this year. You can help ... please take a moment to make a secure online donation to the BDPA Chicago HSCC Scholarship Fund!

Grant Disbursement: BDPA Chicago ($7,500)

BDPA Chicago Students

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is pleased to announce a $7,500 grant disbursement has been approved for the BDPA Chicago chapter! BDPA Chicago chapter president Pamela Sexton submitted IRS Tax Receipt Form requesting $7,500 disbursement.

She wrote, "These funds are used to support training, materials and location of our HSCC program. The funds will also assist with national conference expenses."

The decision to approve this grant disbursement was simple because the chapter and its members have been working with BETF in a number of ways. There are a number of chapter members who contributed to BDPA programs, scholarships and services via the Allstate Giving Campaign, AT&T United Way Employee Giving Campaign and the United Way of Metro Chicago. Our hope is that others will follow these examples so that BDPA Chicago can continue to grow the impact of the meaningful STEM-based training given to our young people each weekend.

Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation

BDPA trains hundreds of high school students each year. Many of them are high school seniors. They are some of the most talented aspiring STEM-tastic young people in the nation. BDPA should encourage them to get college scholarships whenever possible. The annual application process for the Coca-Cola Scholarships begins in August!

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation is one of the largest business-supported, merit-based scholarship programs of its kind in the United States. We support the higher education of deserving high-school seniors through the Coca-Cola Scholars Program with 50 National Coca-Cola Scholarships ($20,000 each) and 200 regional Coca-Cola Scholarships ($10,000 each).

The Coca-Cola Two-Year College Scholarship Program awards 400 scholarships to students attending two-year degree granting institutions in the amount of $1,000 and $2,000 awards. Seminars, traveling information kiosks and regional receptions for scholars, bottlers and colleagues are also part of our work.

Contact Information:

Mr. Mark Davis

Post Office Box 442

Atlanta, Georgia 30301-0442

Phone: 1.800.306.2653

Web Site: www.coca-colascholars.org

BDPA Charlotte High School Computer Competition Team (2013)

The Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program hosted by our BDPA Charlotte chapter introduces middle school and high school students to concepts of information technology and business acumen. Students participate in 3-hour training sessions each Saturday, from February through July, to learn web application development from basic HTML to MySQL and ASP.NET programming with the Visual Studio development environment.

Front Row: Reo Austin, Carlton Austin, Candace Clark, Tyra Harrison, Julius Clark, Jr.
Row 2: Christopher Hoffler, Darrah Stubblefield, Evan Howard, Briona Goni, Breonna Harrison
Back Row: Melvin Rogers (trainer), Katy Hoffler (coordinator)

The class is led by experienced IT trainers.  All course material is contained on a secure Internet-accessible on-line learning web site. Students are given graded tests, interviews and homework assignments throughout the course. Students with the highest scores are chosen to compete at the National High School Computer Competition championship held during the annual BDPA Technology Conference.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation is working with BDPA Charlotte chapter to provide college scholarships to some of these young people who perform well in the SITES program.   We need your help to reach our fundraising goals for this scholarship fund.  Please visit our secure online fundraising platform and do what you think is right for these hard-working students and volunteers!

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!

This Week in BDPA (July 14-20, 2013)

BDPA offers strong programs in 46 cities around the nation. Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Jul 14: BDPA Chicago - Seminar, 'Learn More About Virtualization, Linux, Security and Cisco' 
• Jul 17: BDPA Cincinnati - Program Meeting, 'How to Go Off the Grid, Digitally'
• Jul 18: National BDPA - Webinar, 'Career Triage: How to Work the Career Fair Room Successfully'
• Jul 18: BDPA Dallas - Program Meeting, 'The Mobile Wave'

Please let us know of other BDPA events 

that we may have missed! 

You can always find BDPA programs, services or networking activity online at places such as:

• BDPA Facebook Group
• BDPA Foundation Facebook Page
• BDPA Foundation Twitter Account
• BDPA LinkedIn Network Group

BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry. Our hope is that you find reasons to provide tax-deductible support to our Causes, our HSCC Scholarship Funds or Your Causes! We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events.

Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship

The Xerox Technical Minority Scholarship Program is designed to help cultivate minority students for potential recruitment in the field of technology. The scholarship amount award depends on the student's tuition balance, academic excellence and classification.

Applicants must be academic high-achievers with a GPA average of 3.0 or better and must be US citizens or visa-holding Permanent Residents of African American, Asian, Pacific Island, Native American, Native Alaskan, or Hispanic descent. The scholarship is not available to spouses and children of Xerox employees.

Applicants must also be enrolled as a full time undergraduate or graduate student in any of the following technical fields: Chemistry, Computing & Software Systems, Information Management, Material Science, Printing Management Science, Laser Optics, Physics, Material Science, and all forms of Engineering - including Software Engineering.

The deadline for this scholarship is usually in SEPTEMBER of each year, and the award amount is usually $1,000 - $10,000.

For more details, visit www.xerox.com/jobs/minority-scholarships/enus.html

BDPA Atlanta High School Computer Competition Team (2013)

BDPA Atlanta chapter won the 2012 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship. The success of the program attracted fourteen (14) students to try out for the 2013 HSCC team representing the chapter and city at this year's national HSCC championship being held in Washington DC.

The final five students to make the national HSCC team from Atlanta will be announced later this month. Here are the high school hopefuls:

Shown in Photo: Maurice Weston, Majazz Allah, Madeline Veira, Evan Marable, Lloyd Alexander, 

Jamal Musa, Jonecia Trice, Akilah Weston, Suntheng Taing, Nicolas Badila and Austin Marable

Not in the Photo: Yash Shirsath, Zaria Brown and Jordan Thompson

The HSCC program in Atlanta is designed to teach High School students how to create web applications using coding languages; HTML, CSS, SQL, MySQL, and PHP. In addition to learning how to code, students receive coaching regarding their personal and professional development. BDPA Atlanta volunteers work with students on team building, public speaking, time management, presentation skills as well as goal setting.

The chapter would like to win the national HSCC championship again ... however, its objective is to equip, encourage and enlighten all of the students in their journey to become successful IT professionals. You can help BDPA Atlanta chapter by supporting its HSCC Scholarship fundraising initiative.

Grant Proposal: Raytheon Charitable Foundation (BDPA Los Angeles)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and BDPA Los Angeles chapter combined on a $2,000 grant proposal to Raytheon Charitable Foundation. The funding is needed to support the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program on the west coast. The objective of our SITES program in Los Angeles County is to effectively use technology to stimulate and sustain the interest of young people in science and technology. BDPA seeks an increased interest from parents and students alike on basic science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) knowledge and integration of science, technology and math in their lives. Many of the parents are not tech-savvy.

We know that 80% of the U.S. jobs created in the next decade will require math and science skills. In fact, 21 of the top 25 paying jobs are in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The average salary of STEM employees is 70% higher than those in all other occupations. However, we are sad to report that our students aren’t developing needed skills. In 2009, just 34% of U.S. 8th graders were rated proficient or higher in a national math assessment. In international exams, U.S. high school students ranked 21st out of 30 industrialized nations in science and 25th in math. Only 43% of U.S. high school graduates in 2010 were ready for college work in math and only 29% were ready in science.

We hope that Raytheon Charitable Foundation will see these dismal statistics and choose to support this valuable BDPA program.

Message from BDPA Huntsville Chapter President (July 2013)

Greetings,

As the new President of the BDPA Huntsville Chapter, I accept this position with great joy and enthusiasm. Equally, I am looking forward to leveraging membership expertise and participation in a team approach to strategically grow the Huntsville Chapter.

During our Meet and Greet, I will provide a brief Bio of career highlights (see below).

Membership
To build upon previous groundwork, the first order of business is determining continued membership interest. According to BDPA National records, there were a few memberships that expired in June 2013 and the balance of the memberships expire between now and July 31, 2013. If you are interested in maintaining your membership and being an active part of the Huntsville Chapter, please consider renewing your membership today. 

Membership Benefits and Rewards:

1. Networking Opportunities
2. Professional Development & Career Center
3. Mentoring Opportunities
4. Civic Involvement
5. Strategic Growth of STEM
6. Membership Rewards Program  ****NEW****

Please renew your membership by August 1, 2013.

Your membership is important on both the National and Local level for the following reasons:

1. To continue chapter eligibility/recognition we have to maintain 10 members
2. Also, to be eligible to vote at the National Conference our chapter has to be a recognized chapter.
3. Finally, we want and need you to support and participate in the strategic growth and development of this chapter!

Meet & Greet/Chapter Meetings/Chapter Calendar
Please plan to attend our first chapter meeting together this coming Thursday, July 11th at noon. We request your presence to re-energize this chapter. Your inputs, suggestions, recommendations are needed.

The meeting will be held here at Tec-Masters. in the Corporate Conference Room. I will send a virtual meeting notice under separate cover. Lunch will be provided by the Huntsville Chapter Sponsor, Tec-Masters. Please RSVP to ensure we have an accurate head count.

Agenda*

• Welcome
• Introductions
• Old News & Minutes
• New News
• Chapter Membership
• Chapter Committees
• Chapter Calendar
• Strategic Vision
• Wrap-Up
• Adjourn

 * Please forward any agenda items to me by COB Wednesday for inclusion in Thursday’s meeting.

National BDPA Technology Conference
The 35th annual BDPA Technology National Conference will take place on August 14-17, 2013 in Washington, DC.   I will be attending the National conference. Curious to know how many of you are planning on attending the National Conference? Your attendance in helping me represent the Huntsville Chapter is welcomed. Additionally, we can synchronize our coverage of conference sessions to provide a report back to the Huntsville membership upon our return.

Please let me know if you plan to attend.

In Closing

I am honored to serve as your new Chapter President. Let’s work together for the common good of the organization’s mission and vision, our constituency and the Greater Huntsville Area to make our chapter the Premiere Chapter of BDPA!

1. Establish our presence – Who we are, What we are about
2. Promote Excellence “from the classroom to the boardroom”, not only in the areas of STEM & IT, but in everything we do!
3. Promote Civic Duty
4. Be a Resource within the community – Students, Professionals, Entrepreneurs

Yours in Service,
Carol Bell, president
BDPA Huntsville Chapter

BDPA iRadio Show: July 9, 2013 (Janice Coleman, Ted Jordan, Pamela Sexton)

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!

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The guests on the July 9th show:

Janice Coleman - President/CEO, Janice Coleman Corporation (JCC) - Janice is a master communicator. Her action provoking presentations are sought out and tremendously well-received by all audiences. She has held many strategic roles in the corporate and non-profit sectors for over 20 years during which time she has had the pleasure of leading teams to great success in their respective industry segments. She is a regular contributor to BDPA, having presented to at several chapters in the NE including Philadelphia, North Delaware and North Jersey and keynoting for a Philadelphia Chapter’s recent Holiday Gala. Janice is also the presenter of JCC’s Career Triage© webinar sponsored by National BDPA. Her conference workshop is entitled, 'Stand Up. Stand Out.: The Science of Executive Presence' The National BDPA twitter handle is @JaniceMColeman.

Ted Jordan - President, Funutation Tekademy - Ted Jordan is the visionary behind Funutation Tekademy. Funutation stands for fun and education! The company runs kids' camps, called Tek Labs, partly during the school year and mostly during the summer. Funutation is firm in our commitment to providing your child the finest experience in the technology skills education arena. As a result, computer programming, reading skills, and teamwork are integral parts of the Funutation Tek Lab experience. We look forward to hearing about the past, present and future of Ted's vision. His twitter handle is @tedjordan.

Pamela Sexton - Director, National BDPA Technology Conference - Pamela Sexton is the 2013 National BDPA Technology conference director. She is one of the hardest-working volunteers in BDPA.  In addition to her conference leadership position it is worth noting that Pamela is also national vice president of strategy & planning, BDPA Chicago chapter president and a candidate to become the 2014-2015 national vice president.  She is leading the BDPA effort to pull together the largest gathering of African American IT professionals in the nation on August 14-17, 2013 in Washington DC. There will be thousands of participants, hundreds of corporations, dozens of workshops, seminars, plenary sessions, a wonderful golf tournament, a 2-day career fair and so much more.  Pamela will share the current updates on the conference with our BDPA iRadio Show listeners. The conference twitter handle is @bdpa_conference

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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!

2013 BDPA Individual Epsilon Award Winners

National BDPA annually selects and awards the BDPA Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members. Nominations are accepted across five categories and they are evaluated by a team of National BDPA members in accordance with the descriptions below.

• Career Achievement - Highly experienced professionals who have significant career accomplishments and/or contributions throughout their career
• Community Service - Individuals who have demonstrated, by meaningful results, strong partnership and collaboration with entities in the communities they reside
• Most Promising Technologist - Individuals who have been recognized as future technology leaders based on their drive, commitment and results thus far in their careers
• Outstanding Technical Contribution - Individuals who have pioneered new or leveraged existing technology to solve a critical business or technical problem
• Professional Achievement - Individuals who have reached or realized a significant milestone in their career, corporate or otherwise, that is noteworthy

This year, National BDPA is pleased to honor the following 24 individuals with Epsilon Awards:

1. Dr. Reginald Brothers, Department of Defense, Professional Development
2. Dr. Craig Brown, Nexeo Solutions, Community Service
3. Eugene Cook, Wal-Mart, Outstanding Technical Contribution
4. Victoria Cotton, American Airlines, Outstanding Technical Contribution
5. Adrian Crews, Wells Fargo, Community Service
6. Dr. Shaundra B. Daily, Clemson University, Most Promising Technologist
7. Norman Fleming, MillerCoors, Professional Development
8. Karamu Ford, American Airlines, Career Achievement
9. Zack Garbow, Funeral Innovations, Most Promising Technologist
10. Victor Gavin, US Navy, Career Achievement
11. David Hopkins, American Airlines, Career Achievement
12. Maria Hutsell, Wells Fargo, Career Achievement
13. Dr. Tayo Ibikunle, JPMorgan Chase, Career Achievement
14. Kimberly Jackson, American Airlines, Professional Development
15. Cedric Jamison, American Airlines, Community Service
16. Ted Jordan, Funutation Tekademy, Professional Development
17. Dr. Kyla A. McMullen, Clemson University, Professional Development
18. Anthony Reed, Reed CPA PC, Community Service
19. Subrena Robinson, State Farm Insurance
20. Justin Simpson, Wal-Mart, Most Promising Technologist
21. Decarlas Smith, American Airlines, Most Promising Technologist
22. Stacy Stewart, Health Care Service Corporation, Community Service
23. J. Darrel Thomas, HP, Outstanding Technical Contribution
24. Patrice Yapo, American Airlines, Outstanding Technical Contribution

BDPA will recognize several these accomplished individuals at this year’s 35th Annual BDPA Technology Conference and Career Fair, August 14-17, 2013, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington DC.

BDPA is recognized nationally as a global member-focused technology organization with over 45 active chapters in the United States. BDPA continues to stand as a leader in delivering 21st century technological programs, college scholarships, mentoring, support and services for youth and adult information technology professionals.

This Week in BDPA (July 7-13, 2013)

BDPA offers strong programs in 46 cities around the nation. Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Jul 9: BDPA Foundation - Webinar, 'BDPA iRadio Show' 
• Jul 9: National BDPA - Conference Call, 'VP-Member Services Business Area Meeting'

Please let us know of other BDPA events 

that we may have missed! 

You can always find BDPA programs, services or networking activity online at places such as:

• BDPA Facebook Group
• BDPA Foundation Facebook Page
• BDPA Foundation Twitter Account
• BDPA LinkedIn Network Group

BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry. Our hope is that you find reasons to provide tax-deductible support to our Causes, our HSCC Scholarship Funds or Your Causes! We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events.

BDPA Corporate Epsilon Award Winners: Top 11 Companies for Blacks In Technology

BDPA will recognize several of America’s corporate giants and accomplished individuals at this year’s 35th Annual BDPA Technology Conference and Career Fair, August 14-17, 2013, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington DC. BDPA created the Epsilon Award to recognize and celebrate key contributions and accomplishments of its members and supporters.

National BDPA Corporate Epsilon Awards recognizing corporate achievement are awarded to corporations who have demonstrated a commitment to people and an understanding that fostering a culture of diversity has a bottom line business case value. Each year, National BDPA surveys Fortune 1000 companies to make an assessment of their internal workplace and career development climate using the following rating categories:

• Tenure, Promotions and Terminations
• Leadership Development and Advancement programs
• Supplier Diversity programs
• Community Outreach programs

This year, National BDPA is pleased and honored to recognize eleven (11) corporations with the Corporate Epsilon Award. These corporations are finalists for 'The Top Company For Blacks in Technology' award that will be announced on Saturday, August 17th during the Awards Gala:

1. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
2. Health Care Service Corporation
3. HP
4. Intel
5. Johnson & Johnson (2012 Winner!)
6. Merck
7. Monsanto
8. State Farm Insurance
9. Wal-Mart
10. WellPoint
11. Wells Fargo

BDPA is recognized nationally as a global member-focused technology organization with over 45 active chapters in the United States. BDPA continues to stand as a leader in delivering 21st century technological programs, college scholarships, mentoring, support and services for youth and adult information technology professionals. Contact Wayne Hicks, Director, BDPA Corporate Sales Department by phone (301.584-3135) or email (corpsales@bdpa.org) if you need more information on BDPA sponsorship program.

Grant Disbursement: BDPA Triangle Chapter ($650)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) exists to providing funding support for BDPA programs, scholarships and services in our 46 local chapters around the nation. As such, BETF is pleased to announce approval of a $650 grant disbursement to BDPA Triangle chapter. The funds will support a truly uplifting event held earlier this year.

Carl Hill Congratulates Ensign Stevenson

BDPA Triangle chapter president Carl Hill and chapter VP-Finance Bobby Lamaute made their request as follows:

"BDPA Triangle chapter provided a venue and event to announce the graduation and announcement of a HSCC participant from South Carolina. Ensign Raven Stephenson graduated from Duke University with a full scholarship of $180k that was awarded in 2009 by the US Navy. Sever chapter presidents participated in this momentous occasion that was well-publicized. In attendance were chapter presidents from Greater Columbia, Triangle and Washington DC as well as national president Monique Berry."

It is always a pleasure when BETF is able to celebrate the success of the young people in our Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship program. BDPA volunteers work day-by-day to advance the careers of BDPA members in the IT industry from the 'classroom to the boardroom'. You can do your part. You can make a secure online donation that will help some of our students in North Carolina afford a college education. What say u?

Overview: BDPA College Scholarships

The BDPA strategy is to bring college students into the professional chapters on the local level as opposed to creating ‘college chapters’. Part of that strategy includes an aggressive delivery of college scholarships to deserving BDPA high school students.

There are a number of college scholarship programs in place:

1. Bank of America Scholarship for BDPA Students - These scholarships are administered by BETF.  There have been six Bank of America scholars over the years.
2. Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship – These scholarships are administered by BETF. They are awarded to high-performing students in the annual BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships. Bemley scholars can be found in scores of colleges around the nation.
3. Eli Lilly Scholarships for BDPA Students – These scholarships are administered by BETF. They are awarded to students around the nation who show a desire to make a difference in the IT industry over the course of their college and professional careers. Eli Lilly & Company began funding these scholarships in 2008.
4. Johnson & Johnson Scholarships for BDPA Students - These scholarships are administered by BDPA. They are provided to winners of the annual BDPA IT Showcase as well as all-around excellent HSCC students.
5. Monsanto Scholarships for BDPA Students - This scholarship initiated in 2013 and given to four students (2 nationally and 2 from St. Louis) 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.
6. Oracle Scholarships for BDPA Students – These scholarships are administered by BDPA. They are awarded to deserving students selected by local chapters. Over $150,000 has been awarded to Oracle scholars over the past three years.

We are grateful to Creating IT Futures Foundation for its support of the Bemley Scholarships. The funding for that college scholarship comes primarily from BDPA members and supporters. You can make a secure online donation in a number of ways that include:

• Crowdrise
• Facebook Causes
• Your Debit or Credit Card

Finally, we would love to talk with other corporations or nonprofit organizations about creating STEM-related college scholarships that can be administered by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation. Just reach out to us via email, scholarships@betf.org.