BFOIT Summer Institute

As a part of the Information Technology Leadership Program (ITLP) led by the Berkeley Foundation for Opportunities in Information Technology (BFOIT), the annual Summer Institute brings twenty-five underrepresented and disadvantaged high school students with interest and skills in computer science to U.C. Berkeley for two weeks. BFOIT, which is hosted at ICSI, is currently accepting applications for the 2007 Summer Institute. This year's program takes place from August 6th through the 17th.

There, the students will get hands-on instruction in the fundamentals of computer programming, attend academic and professional workshops, interact with faculty and high tech professionals, and become more familiar with a university environment. In addition to gaining tangible skills, the students' accomplishments and exposure instill a belief in themselves and their ability to pursue a high tech education at a competitive university. Students are also taken on trips to local technology firms. Guest speakers at the Summer Institute last year included Fiona Doyle, the acting Dean of Engineering at UC Berkeley, and ICSI graduate student researcher Kofi Boakye, who is currently working toward a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at UC Berkeley. Kofi's speech recognition demo was a favorite of many BFOIT students.

BFOIT also hosts a summer camp for middle school students, called Science For Youth, or Sci-FY. These programs enable BFOIT to engage with a cohort of young students, with whom we maintain communication for the Information Technology Leadership Program in the Fall. Students and parents receive targeted advising and coaching on issues like college application, financial aid, and career paths. BFOIT offers scholarships for SAT and ACT preparation courses to its participants.

BFOIT continues to support its graduates during the college application process and throughout their college years with mentoring, scholarship support, and internships. Program graduates have gone on to degree programs at competitive schools like UC Berkeley and Brown. Students from last year's program are beginning to receive college acceptances from universities nationwide, including UC Davis and Loyola Marymount, where two participants just received full tuition scholarships.

Eligible students interested in the middle school and high school summer programs can download an application at www.bfoit.org. The deadline to apply is July 20, 2007.

BFOIT is also seeking volunteers to assist staff at both the high school and middle school programs. Please see www.bfoit.org for more information.