2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Rankings

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

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

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

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

2011 Southern Minnesota HSCC Team

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

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

Yash Shirsath Uses Bemley Scholarship at University of Pennsylvania

Yash Shirsath

Yash Shirsath is on of the rare students to earn a Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship for all five years of eligibility as a member of the BDPA Atlanta chapter. His scholarship earnings included winning the entire High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship in both 2012 and 2015.

Yash will use his Bemley Scholarship towards his education at the University of Pennsylvania.  Yash is a National Presidential Scholar and part of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology.  As part of this selective program, Yash will receive a bachelors degree in Economics from Wharton Business School and another bachelors degree in Computer and Information Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania. He is very interested in entrepreneurship and plans to innovate in the startup space.

When asked to share his memories of the HSCC journey, Yash wrote,

---

"I have had the pleasure of being part of the HSCC program for five years. I came in as a timid rising 9th grader who knew nothing about the fantastical world of computing. HSCC not only gave me concrete and marketable but it also fostered a great passion within me.

2015 HSCC Champions

One of my favorite memories from HSCC that really encapsulates my experience in the program occurred right in the maelstrom of competition. We had just completed eight grueling hours of coding and we were pitching our product to a panel of judges. It had all come down to those few moments. Months of preparation and dedication. From myself. From my teammates. From my coaches.

I was in the middle of explaining the intricacies of the security features that we had encoded into the product, when it hit me. This wasn't just a competition. I could have just as easily been standing in a boardroom, talking to executives about our product. We had gained so many skills from this program that we blurred the line between student and professional. This knowledge has really propelled me throughout my career as a computer science student. When I look forward and envision all of the opportunities that lay ahead, I know that HSCC opened the door to so many of them."

---

Yash is a remarkable young man. BDPA looks forward to following his career as he progresses through college and on into the boardroom within Corporate America or his own company! 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 Yash with a secure online donation!

Bemley Scholar: Pandora Brown (Central State University)

Pandora Brown

Pandora Brown represented BDPA Columbus chapter as a member of the national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team at the 2011 and 2012 championships. Her team surprised everyone by taking the bronze medal at the 2011 HSCC championship held in Chicago. She won a Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship for her BDPA performance that will be used during her sophomore year at Central State University where Pandora is majoring in criminal justice.

We asked Pandora to share her thoughts on her BDPA experience. She wrote,

"Joining BDPA had to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. When I joined I met new people, I got to travel, and I was also able to earn scholarship money. I would recommend BDPA to all students interested in stem. I feel as if it is a really good opportunity for students to network with Black business owners. Also I feel as if it creates a bigger window of opportunity for those who may need it."

Pandora plans to serve as an officer in the United States Air Force after graduation. She is a remarkable role model for other young women in the BDPA Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. We want to increase the amount of money in our Bemley Scholarship Fund and we encourage our readers to take a moment to help us by making a secure online donation right away!

Yusuph Mkangara Uses Bemley Scholarship at Harvard University

Yusuph Mkangara

We last heard from Yusuph Mkangara when he returned home after his first experience in the 2010 national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship. Since then this remarkable young man returned with his BDPA Columbus teammates to take home the bronze medal at the 2011 national HSCC championship ... earning a Bemley Scholarship. He graduated from high school and is now in his second year at Harvard University.

We asked this young man to update our audience on his educational journey:

---

My name is Yusuph Mkangara. I am from Columbus, Ohio and my family and I are originally from Tanzania. I participated in HSCC in 2010 and 2011 as a freshman and sophomore. I had never really thought about information technology as a career path but the program certainly paid dividends as our representative team from Columbus went on to take third place in 2011.

I received my high school diploma in 2013 and I am now attending Harvard University. My joint/double major is African Studies and Sociology. While I do not have a set career path yet, I am interested in the field of education and hope to teach and conduct research in education after graduation. In the past year, I have been fortunate enough to conduct research with the guidance of a professor at Harvard and a full research team as a partnership with a local Boston Area high school.

Rest assured, my interest in information technology and computer science is still alive and well. While my trajectory is not typical of those in the STEM fields, I am hoping to later on integrate IT skills in my work in education. One of the things that most excite me about the classroom of “tomorrow” is that technology has the potential to play a transformative role in how we approach education. I think with both technological know-how and experience as a teacher and researcher, I will be in a great position to innovate the field of education by using skills that I first began learning during preparation for my first HSCC."

---

Yusuph is an example of the powerful stories being told by all of the young people who participate in the K-12 STEM programs implemented by BDPA at a local, regional or national level. Many individuals and corporations see that BDPA is preparing and enabling the next generation of technology, STEM and digital thought leaders.

You can help! Please take a moment and make a donation to our Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund.

Classroom to the Boardroom: Della Anjeh (Pomona College)

Della Anjeh is entering her junior year at Pomona College where she majors in computer science. She is a member of our BDPA St. Louis chapter and participated in 2011 and 2012 on the chapter's High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team. She earned a Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship when her HSCC team took home the silver medal in 2012. Later she earned a Monsanto Scholarship ... also administered by the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation. Part of her application included an essay entitled, 'Communication, Knowledge and Innovation: Outcomes of Technological Advancement in Agriculture'.

Della currently is the webmaster for New Ideas Education, a start-up that allows Chinese students to improve English by video chatting with college students. Della also runs the College Lowdown, a podcast that gives advice on what it’s like to navigate and study at an elite college for low-income and first generation students. Della plans to work in the tech world and isn’t quite sure which area she wishes to pursue, but figures it will be in either data structures or design.

We asked Della to share thoughts about her BDPA experience:

---

Della Anjeh

"Ever since I received the email in ninth grade that an after school computer teaching club called BDPA would meet on Wednesdays, I never knew that it would lead to me becoming a second place national champion at the 2012 BDPA conference, that I would become the lead webmaster for a start-up, or that I would major in computer science at one of the best schools in the country. It’s just one of those things that turned out to be bigger than I ever anticipated.

I remember being at the conference in Chicago during the oral question part of the competition. For fun, our team learned from a YouTube video to count in binary with our fingers, so for every binary question our team or the other teams received, we would quietly count with our fingers together. Needless to say, we were always correct. I also remember the courses in robotics we took that taught me a lot about an aspect of computer science that at that point I hadn’t had to opportunity to explore. And of course, I’ll never forget when we were called out as the second place team in the competition that year. It was amazing especially since I was going off to college in a few weeks making 2012 my last year to be eligible to compete in the HSCC championship. All the hard work I put in since 9th grade and up to my senior year of high school truly paid off.

I can’t ever forget what BDPA has done for me, and I continue to reap the benefits of the program now as I’m starting my 3rd year of college, and my first semester as a declared computer science major. I have no idea what my future will be like, but I know that BDPA will continue to stay in my mind as one of the places I felt that I could let my talent shine."

---

BDPA created the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship program to propel students in our community from the classroom to the boardroom. We want our children to have their best chance to 'win the future' by getting grounded in science, technology, education and mathematics. Della is showing us that we're on the right track. We need your help to keep it going! Would you please consider making a secure online donation to support BDPA programs, scholarships and services?

Bemley Scholar Trayer Harvey Slugs His Way to University of California, Santa Cruz

Did you know that the nickname for the University of California, Santa Cruz is 'Banana Slugs'? That is one of the factoids that come to light whenever the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) pays out a college scholarship to one of our deserving student members!

Trayer Harvey

BETF is pleased to announce that $1,500 from Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship fund has been awarded to BDPA Los Angeles student member Trayer Harvey. This young squire represented his chapter three times (2011-2013) at the national BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships. Each year the performance of the team improved until Trayer and his teammates were able to bring home the silver medal from the 2013 national HSCC championship!

We want to make a quantum leap in the amount of college scholarships that we award in 2015. We need the support of BDPA members and sponsors to 'make it so'. Please consider making a secure online donation today in honor of Trayer and the other young people who benefit from the STEM-based training provided by BDPA all over the nation.

Bemley Scholar Austin Little Continues STEM-Based Education at Morehouse College

Austin Little

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) proudly announces that a Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship has been awarded to Austin Little. Austin earned the Bemley Scholarship as a result of the silver medal won by the team trained by BDPA Detroit chapter at the 2011 National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships. The scholarship will be used to participate in Morehouse College’s dual degree engineering program where he will obtain degrees in mathematics and operations research. With these two undergraduate degrees, Austin hopes to matriculate into a doctoral program in operations research. From there he will explore in the areas of consulting, research, and professorship.

Austin agreed to share his remembrance of the HSCC experience:

---

Growing up in West Bloomfield, Michigan most of the kids in my neighborhood were asleep on Saturday mornings while I was at Wayne State University taking engineering classes. I have always had an interest in engineering and technology. My father introduced me to technology because he believed I would benefit from the knowledge. He was right in following his instinct because I participated in very selective programs that developed my critical thinking and curiosity. The challenge for me was to maintain balance, and I did this by participating in sports, the community, civic groups, and school organizations. My involvement in sports, technology programs, community service and school organizations helped shape the person I am today.

In addition to being involved in sports my entire life, I have also been involved in DAPCEP (Detroit Area Pre College Engineering Program) since kindergarten. Through this program, I have been exposed to technology such as QBasic and VEX Robotics. QBasic exposed me to the world of programming, and this is when I realized I would like to major in Operations Research.

I remember my father forcing me to attend the BDPA Detroit chapter informational session for HSCC. However after the first class period, I became extremely interested building websites and programming. Even though giving up Saturday’s to a five-hour programming class sounds rough, I left each class hungry for more knowledge so that I could try new ideas at home.

2011 HSCC Team (Detroit)

The entire HSCC experience was one like no other. The length of the classes and the entire program required tremendous sacrifice, but each hour in and outside the classroom was worth the skills I obtained. To this day I still think back to my HSCC class periods and wish I could go back. Outside of the programming and web design skills, I also learned valuable team work and time management skills. Working in a high-pressure environment provided me with experience few other programs can replicate.

Although I am no longer directly involved in computer science, I still use my programming skills and they will be instrumental in my future study interests.

---

BETF is proud to support young people like Austin! However, we need your support. Please take a moment to make a secure online donation in support of the Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship Fund so we can help more young squires like Austin!

Related articles

• Bemley Scholar James Arama Shares Educational Success with His Mom
• Bemley Scholar Pooja Chebula Matriculates to University of Southern California
• STEM pioneer DAPCEP pushes to reach students early

Bemley Scholar Pooja Chebula Matriculates to University of Southern California

Pooja Chebula

Pooja Chebula is a 3-time member of the national high school computer competition (HSCC) team trained by our BDPA Los Angeles. She earned a Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship for the high-level of performance with her team in the 2012 and 2013 HSCC championships. Pooja informed us of her enrollment to the University of Southern California (Class of 2018) seeking her degree in Computer Science and Business Administration.

Pooja is fascinated with creating technology to help society. She is intrigued by methods to mine and correlate data to revolutionize dimensions of information management, especially as applied to health care. She wants to help ensure that the society we build with the Internet is the sort we intend. Dreams are the sine qua non of success and by joining a creative enterprise that encourages "out of the box" thinking, Pooja seeks to discover her passions and help engineer a brighter, healthier, and sustainable tomorrow.

We asked Pooja to share remembrances of her BDPA experiences with us:

---

My life had been overtaken by a virus. A computer virus, that is.

Los Angeles (2011)

In January, 2011, I enrolled in an extracurricular computer programming course sponsored by BDPA. Little did I imagine that only a few months later, bitten by the computer bug and effectively enamored of coding, I would serve as the program manager for the Los Angeles High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team and lead our chapter to several regional victories. As we qualified for the national HSCC, our instructors had high expectations that, for the first time in our chapter's history, we would discover our Midas touch and bring home the golden trophy. The thought of partaking in a national competition was quite daunting in itself, but being expected to win while competing against experienced teams made the journey a stressful one.

2011 HSCC Team

As we entered Chicago's Hilton hotel for the opening session of the national conference, we certainly felt like the underdogs. The HSCC consisted of three sections: an oral, written, and programming portion. While our team flew through the first two sections, we faced grave difficulties in the programming portion. The 2011 business case called for the development of a custom Laptop purchasing application akin to Dell.com. At first glance, I was relieved to note that we were capable of executing nearly all of the functionality requirements. As we delved into the actual coding, however, I discovered that the case was far more complex than it had initially seemed. Cut off from the rest of the world and without access to the Internet, we were trapped: we simply did not understand the presented database schema. Unable to create the application without a clear understanding of the database relations, we essentially accepted defeat within the first few hours of the competition and solely coded preliminary pages of the site that did not involve convoluted database linkages. Naturally, we were shellacked in the competition, emerging a petty fourteenth place out of seventeen competing teams.

As project manager, I felt especially guilty as we landed in LAX and prepared to relay the news of our disappointing loss to our eagerly awaiting parents. I had failed my team: some of my teammates not only bid goodbye to one another, but they also left the programming field altogether. In striving for the prize, we had lost sight of the bigger picture, of valuing our newly acquired programming knowledge and enjoying our HSCC experience. Engulfed in the minute details of database linkages, I had led my team astray. Had I instead encouraged my team to build the entire application with dummy pages, we might have demonstrated our programming aptitude and felt content with our efforts. With one decision stemming from my poor lack of judgment, eight months of our toil had been rendered worthless.

As I ruminated over our performance in the following months, I noted that while mistakes are a part of life, we certainly had learned much from the experience. Practice does make perfect, and our team simply was not ready to compete against accomplished programmers: we were severely inhibited by our lack of programming experience. I was naturally disappointed with the news of our placement, but my rather embarrassing loss gave me the motivation to expand my programming skill set and the tenacity to adapt and implement various solutions.

2012 HSCC Team

As our newly woven team strove for contentment rather than accolades in the 2012 HSCC, success naturally followed suit such that we emerged as the third place winners and the year after secured first place in programming (second overall). If you learn from a loss, I discovered through the 2011 HSCC, you have not failed. As Richard Bach aptly concludes, "Losing, in a curious way, is winning."

National HSCC Silver Medalists (2013)

It had taken three years to truly implement the lessons from my failure, but I finally emerged victorious.

Once bitten, thrice shy, I suppose!

BDPA Detroit Celebrates Success at 2011 BDPA Technology Conference

Bemley Scholar Zakaria Ahmed Seeks Medical Training at University of Minnesota

Zakaria Ahmed was a member of the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship team trained by our Southern Minnesota chapter. He earned a Dr. Jesse Bemley Scholarship as a result of his efforts on that team. Zakaria Ahmed used that Bemley Scholarship to support his education at the University of Minnesota, Rochester. His major is Health Professions specializing in the respiratory care field. He seeks to become a respiratory therapist on his way to medical school.

We asked Zakaria to share his thoughts on his BDPA experiences:

---

"I first joined BDPA in 2007 while in the eighth grade. My parents took me to a computer camp full of people on Saturday morning hosted by BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter. I had no idea what was going on and I even wanted to go home at first, but, then I noticed that some of my friends were in the class and decided to give BDPA a chance. From that moment on I was addicted to learning more about building web pages.

During that same year, I was fortunate to be able to go to the national conference which was held in Washington DC. Although I didn’t participate in the competition, I was able to participate in the Youth Technology Camp workshops during the conference. I had fun learning more about programming along with meeting other people from different parts of the United States.

The following year I was determined to be on the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team. I did become an alternate to the chapter’s 2008 HSCC team, so I was able to practice with the team which was valuable in my learning. BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter won the 2008 HSCC championships and I was determined to be a regular member of the team in the future.

I didn’t make the HSCC team over the next two years, but, I did see improvements in myself during that time. I was more confident in myself and I was better able to speak in front of an audience, something that wouldn’t have happened without BDPA.

During my senior year in high school, I did make the BDPA Southern Minnesota HSCC team! That year I was assigned to be the web page designer. With the help of my teammates and past HSCC alumni I was able to excel in this role.

Our HSCC team won the 2011 National HSCC championship held in Chicago. It was a record-breaking fifth straight championship for our chapter.

Even though I am in the medical field, I credit BDPA with developing many new skills within myself such as communication, leadership and teamwork. Most importantly, BDPA gave me the confidence to go after what I want in life. I will use all of the skills I learned during my BDPA training to help me be successful in life. If it wasn’t for BDPA I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am so grateful to have been part of this organization and I will never forget the memories I have made in BDPA."

---

Zakaria is one of the many young people impacted by BDPA programs, scholarships and services offered in 46 local chapters around the country. We need your financial support to keep BDPA thriving in these local communities. Won't you consider making a secure online donation today in honor of Zakaria and the other 'future faces of technology' who benefit from BDPA?

Related articles

• Rochester Post-Bulletin, 10/1/2013 (BDPA Southern Minnesota)
• KTTC Rochester, 9/9/2013 (Herchran Singh, BDPA Southern Minnesota)

Wordless Wednesday: 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition Champions

Wordless Wednesday: National BDPA High School Computer Competition Champions (Southern Minnesota, 2011)

SOURCE: BDPA Foundation Photostream on Flickr

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:

---

"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.

---

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!

Wordless Wednesday: High School Computer Competition Team (BDPA New Jersey, 2011)

BDPA's Hadiya Harrigan Wins NCWIT Ohio Award for Aspirations in Computing

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation congratulates Hadiya Harrigan for being selected as a 2012-2013 winner of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing Ohio Affiliate. Hadiya competed in the 2011 and 2012 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships as a member of the team trained by BDPA Cincinnati chapter.  She is currently a senior at Seven Hills Upper School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The NCWIT Award for Aspirations recognized Hadiya for her computing-related aspirations and for her demonstrated, outstanding aptitude and interest in information technology/computing; solid leadership ability; good academic history; and plans for post-secondary education.  Not only did Hadiya win the award for the state of Ohio ... she was also named a National Award runner-up.


BDPA Cincinnati HSCC coordinator Frank Hill wrote,

"I have watched Hadiya grow rapidly from beginner to high proficiency in both Information Technology and leadership. Hadiya demonstrated exceptional technology skills during 2012 by first completing an 32-week advanced IT training course and then serving as the project manager and lead developer for the Cincinnati HSCC team that finished in 7th place (out of 45 eligible BDPA chapters).

Hadiya has developed technical skills in database design; JavaScript programming; ASP.NET Programming; Visual Basic Programming; HTML; SQL; Web Application Design and User Interface Layout. Haydia used her skills to teach and coach fellow students.

Hadiya has a bright future in technology and any other endeavor that she undertakes."

The Ohio NCWIT Affiliate will make the official presentation to Hadiya and her family at an award ceremony on Saturday, May 11, 2013. In the meantime, I encourage all of BDPA-Nation to tip our caps to Hadiya Harrigan. We're very proud of her for winning this award!

BDPA Atlanta HSCC Alum Sunheng Taing Applies Jesse Bemley Scholarship Towards Computer Science Degree at University of Georgia

Sunheng Taing was a member of the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by BDPA Atlanta chapter to compete in the 2011 National BDPA HSCC championship held in Chicago, IL. He graduated from Berkmar High School earlier this year and is now enrolled at the University of Georgia (Class of 2016).

He shared his thoughts about the BDPA experience with us in the following testimonial:

---

Meeting new people that share the same enthusiasm for learning as you is hard to find. Luckily, I found a place where I can meet those people. That place is BDPA. I have not heard of BDPA until my junior year of High School. Not knowing much about the program, I ventured out with my parents and drove forty minutes to the meeting. Once there, it was more than I expected. The people were welcoming and what they taught me will last a life time.

The main instructor, Wes Williams, we call him “Coach Wes,” explained the goal and view of BDPA. He may be strict at times but he is always right. There were tons of people who have the same enthusiasm as I during the 2011 BDPA HSCC championship. All of us wanted to prove what we learned, and to do their best. In the competition room, there were tensions among teams during the questions as well as the coding part of the competition. My teammates and I were prepared for this day for more than half a year. We all know that it is very nerve wrecking, we kept each other calm. From questions to presenting the web application, I gave it all I had. The result was nothing less than I hoped for.

Some sacrifices had to be made before I could follow the path of computer science. The long hour drive back and forth every Saturday was very discouraging. However, I believe that if you try hard enough, there’s going to be a reward at the end. My experience with BDPA had taught me to not only program but to become a different person.

BDPA taught me responsibility and the value of hard work. These things will be carried with me for the rest of my life. I have acquired some work experience when joining the BDPA Atlanta Chapter. I had to opportunity to intern at Impact Church. During my internship, I created a web application for the community that allows members to interact in connection groups. This experience helped me develop my own skills as well as social interactions among other people.

My career goal is to excel in the development of technology as well as to grow in leadership and knowledge that will provide solutions to world problems. I intend to major in the Computer Science at the University of Georgia.

I would like to thank BDPA with all my heart for the experience and opportunity that I had.

---

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is very proud of Sunheng and his teammates within the BDPA Atlanta chapter. We plan to follow him through his college career and beyond. Sunheng is the embodiment of our 'classroom to the boardroom' motto!

HSCC Testimonial: Curtis Mimes (Cincinnati, 2011)

I met Taft High School student Curtis Mimes last summer at the BDPA Midwest Regional High School Computer Competition (HSCC) and IT Showcase when I served as a judge for the programming event. I saw right away that Curtis was a leader with great potential. One of the guests at that event was Cincinnati Bell chief information officer Kevin Murray. Kevin had nothing but high praises for Curtis based on his performance as a summer intern within the Cincinnati Bell information technology department.


Our blog is pleased to share the thoughts of this young squire about his BDPA experiences:

---

My local training with BDPA Cincinnati chapter was short --- I joined the program late because I had just made up with my mother and moved back to Cincinnati. I found the program exhilarating, and I loved the chance to improve my problem-solving skills by working on complex, timed business problems. Our instructor, Mr. Frank Hill, was very engaging in his lessons about ASP.NET, VB.NET, and mySQL—all very marketable skills.

The National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship was a valuable experience. The programming problem at the competition was more difficult than usual (according to Mr. Hill) by making us set up the databases for use. Although we did not win, the experience provided me something to strive towards. I am ecstatic that I got the opportunity to participate as a representative from the city of Cincinnati. I now know what “crunch time” feels like for a programmer. Between the banquets and the programming section of the test, I had a blast. Most importantly, I learned what I did know as well as what I didn't know.

My experience with BDPA affirmed that my career will be in the programming track. Also, it gave me the opportunity to experience website design. Although creating web applications will not be my main occupation, a few contracts on the side could be lucrative and fun. Since I knew what I wanted to do before I joined BDPA it did not change my career goals, but it did widen them.

---

BDPA impacts hundreds of students like Curtis each and every year in our youth technology programs. Our challenge is to find the money to fund the books, facilities, supplies, materials, lunches and other expenses. BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is committed to finding the necessary funds.

If you are inspired by Curtis' testimonial then we encourage you to make a donation to our college scholarship fund that supports BDPA Cincinnati chapter students.

HSCC Testimonial: Bikram Sapkota (Cincinnati, 2011)

Bikram Sapkota joined BDPA Cincinnati chapter in 2011 as part of its Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. He participated in the chapter's computer camp and competed in the 2011 national BDPA High School Computer Competition championship here in Chicago.


He shared his testimonial on the experience with us:

---

Most people gain skills from their education as a child. My situation was unique. My parents were Bhutanese. They were forced to leave their country because of ethnic cleansing. Our family was forced to move to Nepal, a landlocked country, where we settled for 17 years as refugees. We had few opportunities to develop our skills in various fields because our life was always in exile and in debt. We lived under United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) support while in Nepal.

My life as a refugee was not satisfying. I could never explore my interest in computer technology because my family couldn’t afford the money to do so. Fortunately, we were able to re-locate in the United States a few years ago. I am now at high school in Ohio and I am able to learn what it takes to be successful in computer technology world. Also, I want to be able to do something for the community and my new country in the future.

Many people would fear a move to a place where they have few acquaintances.
However, I am confident in my ability to make a valuable contribution because of my experiences in meeting new people in the past. I hope that my experiences in America will continue to be free from prejudice and premature judgments. I do my part by pulling together groups of people into leisure activities and outings that provide an incentive for people to learn about each other and be nice to each other.

I think that my best assets are my communication skills and various computer skills. I gained most of my computer skills from BDPA Cincinnati chapter when I participated in their 2011 computer camp. I plan to use many of the skills that BDPA taught me to eventually study interactive web multimedia when I go to college.

 My skills in multimedia, web design and teamwork improved during my time with BDPA. I was proud to be selected on the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team that represented Cincinnati in the 2012 national HSCC championship in Chicago. It was my first computer competition. It was a friendly environment and our coaches and judges cared about us at every step as we tried to find success. I had fun while in Chicago, but it was also very challenging.

I think that my BDPA experiences have also made me want to become an entrepreneur in the future. Entrepreneurs tend to demonstrate a driving ambition to succeed. I want to go college and setup my future so that I have choices. Mostly, I want to be a great person in the future.

---

Bikram has a unique story ... however, it is a story that is shared by hundreds of young people every year who participate in BDPA programs around the nation. It is the reason that BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) works so hard to raise the money to increase the number of students engaged with BDPA chapters around the nation.

You can make a difference by donating to any of our BDPA scholarship programs. Share some BDPA-Love for Bikram and other HSCC alumni by replying to this message or making a donation or both!

BDPA Dallas HSCC Team (2011)

Gilbert Mfitumukiza, Bridget Mfitumukiza, Kiera Robinson and Kayla Rhodes

These are the young people trained by BDPA Dallas chapter to compete in the 2011 national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship held last month in Chicago.  

BDPA Dallas created their Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program to expose young people to the fields of computer science and IT.  The chapter seeks to increase the understanding and accessibility of science, technology, engineering and math in historically disenfranchised communities.  The SITES curriculum focused on industry standard programming languages, problem-solving techniques and conceptual design.

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is working with volunteers to raise college scholarship funds for BDPA Dallas chapter high school students.   Click here to help us if you have time or inclination to do so.

BDPA Philadelphia HSCC Team (2011)

L-R: William Morgan, Samuel Gonzalez, Brian Stempin (trainer), Norman Morrison, Hayward West (chapter president) and Pedro Soto

The Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program hosted by our BDPA Philadelphia chapter covers a variety of topics in the world of information technology. Instruction is provided in creating databases using MySQL, programming, Java, Linux and web development. The training not only prepares students to compete in regional and national competitions, but also provides them with skills in team building that can be valuable as they enter into the workforce.