Penn State News, 8/21/17 (Zion Emmanuel)

Making a Difference: Dean's Fund Helps Student Maximize His Success. At the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), innovation and engaged scholarship are two pillars that drive the college’s growth. Two crucial elements that support these ideals are the Dean’s Excellence Fund and the College of IST Future Fund, which offer unrestricted financial resources to address IST’s most pressing needs and create opportunities for students.

Zion Emanuel discusses a research project

In the case of Zion Emanuel, an undergraduate student majoring in IST with an emphasis on design and development, these funds are providing the assistance he needs to reach his full potential.

As an accomplished high school graduate of the Academy of Health Sciences in Largo, Maryland, and a member of the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), a group working to increase underrepresented groups in technology, Emanuel arrived at Penn State with a passion for technology and numerous college credits under his belt. With his outstanding academic achievements, he earned a place in the Millennium Scholars Program, a prestigious initiative to foster students to become leading researchers in STEM fields.

Read the rest of the Penn State News article.

The Milwaukee Times, 9/30/2016 (BDPA Milwaukee Computer Camp)

They are (from left, top row) Jalil Gibson, Alvin Cherry, Jeffery Simon, Noah
Aitch, (from left, bottom row) Isaiah Jones, Nadia Chestnut, Jayla Hopkins,
and Vendah Jones.

BDPA Milwaukee Chapter Hosts High School Computer Competition and Youth Technology Camp Awards Ceremony. On Thursday, September 22, 2016 BDPA Milwaukee Chapter celebrated the success of its High School Computer Competition and Youth Technology Camp participants with an awards recognition ceremony at MillerCoors. The Milwaukee chapter completed its 3rd year of operation by preparing nine students to participate and compete in the 2016 National BDPA High School Computer Competition in Atlanta, GA on August 10-13, 2017. BDPA’s goal is to assist school in giving students a solid computer foundation. Awards went to area high school students that participated in the Youth Technology Camp.

Click here to see the full article in The Milwaukee Times.

Vidette Online, 9/14/2016 (Basheer Becerra, Joel Johnson)

Basheer Becerra

ISU Student Helps Local High School Place Third. The Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Central Illinois High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team placed third out of 15 teams at the BDPA National Conference with the help of one Illinois State University sophomore.

Basheer Becerra is studying computer sciences at ISU and said that when the opportunity to be a mentor to high school students presented itself, he was more than willing.

“During my freshman year when I [had] just joined BDPA, I was looking for some non-profit organizations to get involved with to help mentor students,” Becerra said. “Then I received an email from Joel Johnson, and he said we have opportunities available for Information Technology mentorship, so it was just what I was looking for. I joined immediately and Joel introduced me to the program.”

Read the rest of the Vidette Online article.

Bloomington Pantagraph, 8/29/2016 (Joel Johnson, Sidhearth Panda, Suraj Sunkara, Jordan Stipp)

From left are BDPA-CIL president Marcus Barbee, BDPA member Theonnie Shields, BDPA-CIL HSCC coordinator Joel Johnson, Normal Community HS students Sidhearth Panda, Suraj Sunkara and Jordan Stipp. The three teens placed in 3rd place in the national HSCC in Atlanta, GA.

NCHS Students Score Third in National Computer Competition. Three Twin City high school students showcased their technology and communication skills at the recent national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) in Atlanta, Ga., netting third place. Joel Johnson is the coordinator and instructor for the local HSCC club, hosted by Black Data Processing Associates Central Illinois Chapter, a non-profit organization.

“We recruit students from Bloomington-Normal high schools to learn at our training academy. The goal of the program is to encourage African Americans to get into IT (Information Technology), but we will educate any student that wants to learn,” said Johnson, who also works as a system analyst at State Farm.

The academy members meet three times a month, October through April. The students learn basic web page construction, java script and database creation for websites.

Read the full Bloomington Pantagraph article.

Forsyth County News, 8/28/2016 (Cameron Reaves)

Cameron Reaves

Scholastic Student Spotlight: Lambert Senior Class President Focused on Energy Crisis. Cameron Reaves is a senior at Lambert High School in the Atlanta area.

Cameron said, "I plan to study computer science and energy engineering, selecting a minor in Chinese. I plan to focus on solving issues in sustainability and energy, improving the efficiency of existing systems and developing cheaper alternatives to solve our impending energy crisis. Whether as an employee or an entrepreneur, I will make an impact on both how society consumes and produces energy."

Read the full Forsyth County News article here.

bdpatoday, 8/25/2016 (Mayesha Awal, Michael Brown, Kareem DaSilva, Justin Rice)

Developers, Mentors, Judges and Student Invitations now open for 2017’s AppDev Season.  National BDPA announces 2016 winners of its annual National Mobile Application Showcase competitions. Approved Mobile App Showcase projects submitted this year were assessed by a panel of industry judges and partners during BDPAConnect16. Monetary awards powered by State Farm Insurance were given to the top Android and iOS collegiate and high school developers.

Read the rest of the BDPAToday article.

News One: 8/9/2016 (Ogochukwu Eburuoh, Sharrarne Morton)

Black Data Processors Seek To Increase The Number Of African Americans In Tech. There’s a big push to get more African-Americans into the tech world and the culmination is happening this weekend.

The Black Data Processing Association will hold its annual Technology Conference and Job Fair August 10-13 in Atlanta, Georgia. The BDPA provides training for professionals and scholarships for students in an attempt to increase the African American presence in the field of technology.

According to The New York Times, African Americans only represent 7 percent of the tech workforce. The BDPA works with corporate sponsors to focus on recruitment, retention, community outreach, and supplier diversity.



Read the rest of the News One article.

Business Wire, 5/2/2016, (Mike Williams)

BDPA and FORTUNE Magazine Group Enter Partnership. Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) and FORTUNE’s Content Marketing & Strategies group entered into an agreement to publish and promote a special advertising section on diversity. FORTUNE's Content Marketing & Strategies group, the custom content division of FORTUNE, has been producing custom content for FORTUNE 1000 companies since 1954. BDPA is the largest African American Information Technology (IT) Association in the country and has 40 chapters across the United States. The organization is a catalyst for professional growth and technical development for those in IT and continues to bridge the digital divide by providing training and career growth opportunities for its members.

"We view BDPA as a valuable resource for corporate America as they serve as a catalyst for growth in IT diversity," states Joel Baboolal, Project Manager, FORTUNE Content Marketing & Strategies. "Our group is thrilled to partner with BDPA. The issue of IT diversity has reached new heights and together we aim to cover solid examples of timely advancements on this front which will be featured in a special advertising section in our FORTUNE 500, June 15, 2016 issue," he added. The advertising close date is May 4th.

"We are ecstatic about our partnership with FORTUNE to pursue our shared mission of advancing diversity in IT across corporate America," said Mike A. Williams, BDPA National President. "As a leading national magazine whose focus is on the top 500 companies in the nation, BDPA could not ask for a better partner to tackle this issue with us," he added.

BDPA will host its 38th Annual National Technology Conference and Career Fair, August 9-13, 2016 at The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. BDPA’s Career Fair is free and open to the public.

Read full press release at Business Wire.