Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 1/15/2016 (Fredrick Blocton, Sifora Tek-Lab)

2015 HSTP graduates (l-r) Isaiah Brown, Mohammed Abdi,
Kiani DeJuan Burkett, Diliet Tekie, and Jesus Vega (not pictured)

Tech Group Draws Students Into ‘Smart Zones’. On Friday, January 8, Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) celebrated its 11th year with a graduation and awards ceremony emceed by Dawn Stevens of FOX 9 news. The theme of the event: transformational leadership.

Approximately 50 students between fourth grade and college level were honored at the event. BDPA is an all-volunteer organization, from the instructors to the students they teach. It boast a 100 percent graduation rate.

Fredrick Blocton, the Twin Cities BDPA chapter president, described their role in creating a foundation for future transformational leaders: “All of our kids that come into BDPA come into what we consider a smart zone. A smart zone means that when you come into the BDPA program you get the opportunity to be as smart as you want to be. And when kids come in they see the other kids trudging away at technology…and they start to all do the same thing. They get in the smart zone and they are able to open up their brains,” Blocton continued. “And what it does is it flips on the switch for them and gives them the opportunity not only to learn in technology, but in other areas of their lives, too.”

Read the rest of the article on MSR Online.