How BSD Helped Transform Oliver Scholars' Student Outcomes

Mauricio Murillo
Sep 12
3 min read

Director of Academic Affairs, Bernell Downer shares his experience with BSD Education and its impact on preparing high-achieving Black and Latinx students for the future

At Oliver Scholars, providing a transformative path for high-achieving Black and Latinx students means going beyond traditional education. The organization elevates aspirations and nurtures the growth of future change-makers, thought leaders, and trailblazers through a commitment that extends up to ten years, offering invaluable one-on-one support, enriching summer coursework, and essential pre-career training. With a remarkable track record of 100 percent high school graduation success, Oliver Scholars has found a powerful ally in BSD Education to enhance their mission.

Bernell Downer, Director of Academic Affairs and an alumnus of the Oliver Scholars Program and Phillips Academy Andover, recently shared his insights on how BSD Education has transformed their approach to preparing students with career-ready skills and computational thinking experiences.

BSD: In what ways has the partnership with BSD Education enhanced Oliver Scholars' ability to provide career-ready skills and computational thinking experiences for your students?

"BSD Education has been instrumental in advancing our mission by developing a curriculum that goes beyond basic coding."

BSD Education has been instrumental in advancing our mission by developing a curriculum that goes beyond basic coding. Their approach integrates computational thinking with a focus on social entrepreneurship, preparing our students with the skills needed for the modern workforce.

Through scaffolded mini-projects and a culminating "Build Your Tech Start-Up" capstone project, BSD has enabled our students to apply computational methods to real-world issues, fostering technical and problem-solving abilities. The added mentorship from professionals in various fields has further enhanced our students' learning experiences, providing insights that connect academic learning with career-ready applications.

BSD: Reflecting on the Summer 2024 "Build Your Tech Start-Up" program, how did the combination of course content and mentorship opportunities contribute to the students' growth in technical skills, entrepreneurial thinking, and professional readiness?

"BSD's mentorship partnerships were crucial, giving students a direct line to professionals who provided practical advice and real-world insights.."

The "Build Your Tech Start-Up" program in Summer 2024 was transformative for our students. The blend of hands-on project work and mentorship allowed students to hone technical skills in a way that mirrored real-world challenges. BSD's mentorship partnerships were crucial, giving students a direct line to professionals who provided practical advice and real-world insights. This experience helped students develop entrepreneurial thinking by encouraging them to conceptualize and build solutions for social impact while improving their professional readiness through team collaboration, public speaking, and pitching their projects.

BSD: How does the recent social entrepreneurship course, which focused on leveraging technology for social impact, align with Oliver Scholars' mission to develop change-makers and trailblazers among Black and Latinx students?

"This course perfectly aligns with our mission by empowering students to use technology as a tool for social change."

This course perfectly aligns with our mission by empowering students to use technology as a tool for social change. Through BSD Education's structured curriculum, students explored various areas like health, economic equity, environmental sustainability, and education, each presenting a platform for students to address issues relevant to their communities. By fostering computational skills in tandem with social awareness, BSD helps our students see themselves as future change-makers and innovators equipped to address challenges faced by underrepresented communities.

BSD: What are some important skills that students will need for their future endeavors?

As students enter an increasingly complex world, they must rely on critical thinking, adaptability, collaboration, and self-advocacy. The partnership with BSD Education is helping instill these essential skills, preparing our students to tackle uncertainty confidently, work effectively in diverse teams, and continuously develop a growth mindset. These foundational qualities will serve them well in both academic and professional settings, and we're grateful to BSD for supporting our efforts to build these competencies in our students.

Empowering the Next Generation of Innovators

The partnership between Oliver Scholars and BSD Education demonstrates how thoughtful technology integration can amplify an organization's mission. By combining Oliver Scholars' commitment to developing change-makers with BSD Education's innovative approach to digital skills education, students are not only achieving academic success but are also being equipped with the tools they need to address real-world challenges and create positive social impact.

Ready to bring transformative digital skills education to your students? Learn more about how BSD Education can support your mission.