Back in the day it was said that women would be unfit for motherhood and marriage if they had a good education. It was a very old saying and is holds no truth in this age in time. Women with education succeed, prosper, and allow themselves to have more opportunities without education. And I can truly testify to this.
In 2004, I joined BDPA to further my education in IT, website building, etc. I was one of the very few females from the Hartford Public Schools to join this “club” and become involved in the unthinkable. Unthinkable meaning: hard work, a job that took determination, a job that took persistency. I had possessed all these skills but BDPA allowed me to show the skills I had to be a “winner”. Not just meaning taking 3rd place in the HSCC, but learning to work as team, becoming a professional in my work, and furthering my knowledge out of the class room time.
BDPA had also given me that comfort to be around other youth that shared the same passion as me. I couldn’t get that in my school. I was considered a “nerd”, an outsider. The program ensured me that “education is the key”. It had been one of the BEST programs I’ve been involved in that helped me build my leadership skills. I took risks, I panicked, I was scared when I got to Detroit for the HSCC. But when I spoke to leaders and students from all over the U.S. they gave me comfort and guidance. I’ve learned so much from BDPA and still to this day I still use that knowledge I’ve gained.
Over the past 6 years I held high positions in my school and at work because of my experience with BDPA. I’ve held the position as President and Layout editor with my high school’s newspaper club by using my layout skills that I’ve learned. I also landed a job with a non-profit for two years with marketing, designing, etc. BDPA has opened up so many doors for me that weren’t imaginable. And I thank BDPA by the grace of God for starting a foundation of knowledge for me, allowing me to succeed.