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.

Bloomington Pantagraph, 1/23/2011 (Javelin Lawrence)

Javelin Lawrence

Heartland Community College to Host BDPA Information Technology Showcase. The Central Illinois chapter of Black Data Processing Associates will sponsor an information technology showcase Jan. 29 at Heartland Community College’s Workforce Development Center, 1500 W. Raab Road. The free event is open to students and community members.

“This event is for more than just minorities,” Javelin Lawrence, vice president of BDPA, said in a statement. “We hope to attract any and all high school students in McLean County who are interested in developing and sharing their IT expertise.”

Read the rest of the Pantagraph article here.

Heartland Community College, 1/9/2011 (Javelin Lawrence)

Javelin Lawrence

IT Showcase for Local HS Students Jan. 29. The Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Central Illinois Chapter is looking for area high school competitors as it prepares to sponsor an information technology showcase Saturday, January 29 at Heartland Community College's Workforce Development Center, located at 1500 W. Raab Rd., Normal. Students and community members are welcome to attend this free event.

"This event is for more than just minorities," said Javelin Lawrence, vice president of the BDPA. "We hope to attract any and all high school students in McLean County who are interested in developing and sharing their IT expertise. It's shaping up to be a great event."

Read the full Heartland Community College article.

WJBC, 12/18/2010 (Javelin Lawrence)

Bridging the Technology Gap Locally. A group that aims to bridge the technology gap is hosting its first competition in Bloomington-Normal. Black Data Processing Associates is putting on a citywide technology showcase at heartland Community College where high school students will show off their tech skills.

“It’s not just about (information technology), you have technology that extends into medicine, engineering, architecture,” Vice President Javelin Lawrence said. “It’s getting our students focused and getting them engaged a lot more than they are today.”

Read the rest of the WJBC article.

UMC News, 8/23/2007 (Delano Robinson, Lorenzo Marshall)

Delano Robinson Wins College IT Showcase. Delano Robinson, of Bloomington, Ill., recently earned 1st Place in the college division of the IT Showcase held in conjunction with the 29th annual National BDPA Technology Conference in Washington, DC. Robinson was the best of five college students that participated in division of the IT Showcase as determined by the judges. The BDPA IT Showcase was sponsored by IBM and Eli Lilly & Company. Elmer Corbin (IBM) and Tim Coleman (Eli Lilly) shared comments with the students during the award ceremony.

Read the rest of the media story here.

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, April/May 2007 (Javelin Lawrence)

Insurance Firms' Drive for Innovation Boosts the Role of the IT Pro. At State Farm Insurance Co (Bloomington, IL), Javelin Lawrence works in data and info strategies as a system analyst. She supports and services the front end of a tool to improve the productivity of product model developers. "I work with a team of analysts who are supporting and servicing a very complex application," she says. Lawrence also coordinates the local high school computer camp for BDPA and teaches at the camp. "In 2006 our kids placed fifth in the country," she says proudly.

Read the full media story here.