Twin Cities Black Data Processing Association place 5th at nat’l computer competition

The Twin Cities Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Minnesota teams won first and fifth place at the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition, which was part of the 2011 33rd Annual BDPA Technology Conference held August 3-6 in Chicago.

The members of the High School Computer (HSCC) team were Cedric Cyrus (Como High school), Samantha Spears (Woodbury HS), Jorian Wulf (St. Paul Central HS) and Douglas Callahan (St. Paul Central HS). The Twin Cities Chapter High School Competition Team took fifth place out of 45 teams. The Rochester team won first place, Detroit team placed second, Columbus, Ohio team placed third, and the Atlanta team placed fourth.

Eleven students attended the national BDPA conference and participated in the National BDPA Youth technology Camp (YTC), which provided a comprehensive program of hands-on activities and workshops for about 100 middle- and high-school students.

The Twin Cities Chapter has placed in the top 10 teams of the past five national BDPA High School Computer Competitions. The team ranged in age from 14-18 and was accompanied by the HSCC Coordinators Michael Wulf, Mark Holden and Kelly Martin.

The design team with the winning graphic was called TAG. TAG team members were Dakari Davison, Dallyn Davison, Daze Davison, Elisha Phillip and Michael Quick. Each team member will receive a pair of Converse shoes displaying the original design. Additional pairs of Converse sneakers were donated to a Chicago women and children’s shelter on September 17. The Twin Cities Chapter also won second place in T-shirt design.

Highlights of the conference are the opportunities to network with other information technology (IT) professionals and to interact with potential employers. Many students attended the IT Showcase, a two-day event where high school students and college students present and demonstrate their research.
The High School Technology Program (HSTP) is a weekend program that introduces high school students to computer programming and other aspects of computer science. Visit www.bdpatc.org/youth_programs.asp to learn more about our youth programs.

For more information about the Black Data Processing Association (BDPA) visit the national chapter at www.bdpa.org and the Twin Cities Minnesota local chapter at www.bdpatc.org.

This article was provided by the Twin Cities Minnesota Chapter of the BDPA.