Programs

The Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program falls under the STEM+ BDPA pillar. This program was created to expose our youth to the concepts of computers and give them the expertise to develop web applications. Throughout the year, local chapters conduct SITES training programs for the youth in their communities. There are currently four programs that fall under the SITES umbrella.

BDPA looks forward to having you involved with our BDPA Student Programs.

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The S.I.T.E.S Program

Student Information Technology Education and Scholarships

High School Computer Competition (HSCC)

The BDPA National High School Computer Competition, (HSCC), was founded in 1986 by Dr. Jesse Bemley, of Washington, D.C. What started as a two-team event between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Ga. has grown to over 20 teams of various high school students from chapters throughout the nation. It’s all designed to introduce our Youth to the field of Information Technology, encourage them to seek higher levels of education, and groom many of them to become our next generation of IT professionals.

Youth Technology Camp (YTC)

The BDPA Annual National Youth Technology Camp (YTC) provides interactive, hands-on workshops, seminars, and activities for high school students seeking to gain valuable exposure in leading edge technology topics. This event gives students the opportunity to network with young entrepreneurs, and other youths from around the country who are pursuing academic and professional futures in the computer technology industry. Don’t miss this opportunity to take part in a technology camp specifically tailored to meet the needs of today’s Youth!

Information Technology (IT) Showcase

The National BDPA Information Technology (IT) Showcase allows student presenters from educational institutions across the United States, to present and demonstrate their research. The presentations represent advanced computing and technical topics presented by college and high school students to an audience of corporate representatives, IT professionals, and students.

Mobile Application Showcase

The National BDPA Mobile App Showcase allows student application developers the opportunity to participate in a competition that allows them to an opportunity to test their talents against others and develop a working, functional mobile application, at no cost to themselves. The applications being showcased will represent three different application categories (i.e. business, personal productivity, and gaming). Each category will have stringent requirements to be met in advance to the showcase.

College Programs

BDPA has been supporting the growth and development of black computing students since the 1980’s. We have used our networking, experiential programs and scholarships to advance the interest and careers of thousands of minority students around the country. Over the years, we have given hundreds of thousands of scholarships and operational support to reduce barriers to success for these computing.

BDPA C.A.R.E.S

This unique period has underscored the need for more qualified minority to be ready to meet the workforce needs of a hungry market. BDPA has refreshed our college focus and doubling down on energy to ensure student readiness. We have anchored our development and support for college students leveraging our C.A.R.E.S. framework (see below). This framework is the embodiment of new College Chapter efforts. We will prioritize HBCU’s given their high concentration of the target commitment. We will also partner with majority institutions seeking the support the BDPA community can uniquely enable.

(C)ommunity

Mentorship and Coaching Local communities available for sharing and growing through college chapters. Ability to leverage a national network of other black professional and leaders from various industries. Give back to community through training opportunities with local high and elementary schools.

(A)ccess

Access to knowledge and Jobs. Access to training and certifications Sponsored participation at BDPA National Technology Conference and Diversity Career Fairs Access to BDPA Bi-weekly Tech and Career Talks.

(R)esearch

Research and Thought Leaders. Mentorship and Coaching Local communities available for sharing and growing through college chapters. Ability to leverage a national network of other black professional and leaders from various industries. Give back to community through training opportunities with local high and elementary schools.

(E)xperiential

Experiential Learning. IT Research Showcase (Existing Program), Mobile App Showcase Program and Competition (Existing Program), Data Science and Analytics (Concept), and Cybersecurity (Concept).

(S)cholarships

BETF/BDPA awards over $100k annually to deserving students through corporate sponsorships and program awards.

Join BDPA!

Be part of a national movement and make a difference in the lives of African American information technology professionals as we work together to create the changes needed for diverse work environments and supportive communities.

So the next time someone asks, Where are the Blacks in Information Technology? Where are the Blacks In Technology? Where are Information Technology Thought Leaders? Where are the Blacks In STEM? Where are the Black Digital Leaders of the future? Tell them they are all in BDPA!

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