two students learning together at a computer

SD Cares

Corporate citizenship is a core value at SD Solutions LLC, and we are passionate about creating educational and employment opportunities in rural and underutilized business zones.

As a community partner, SD Solutions LLC created annual scholarship award in 2013 for aspiring high school seniors from low-income neighborhoods in our county. We work with local high schools to provide scholarship awards for college education.

Our selection criteria for students includes:

GPA
Volunteering Activities
Citizenship Skills
Teacher References
Financial Background
A Written Essay

We also help schools with funds to purchase books for their libraries and arrange for sites visit to industry and tech/career counseling for students.

In addition, we created a program to hire and pay teaching assistants to help students improve their grades and SAT scores and to assist teaching staff with tasks related to their curricula.

To date, over sixty students from our HUBZone have benefitted from scholarships and part-time jobs, and hundreds of students have received presentations on depression.

Here is a timeline of some of the things the company has done to help our community with education and employment.

2021

May

In May 2021, SD Solutions LLC awarded scholarships to six students to pursue their college education.

The scholarship winners were Allan Stull, Brianna Seekford, Reagan Johnson, and Sydney Cave from Luray High School and Katharine Yoder and Jada Schutt from Page County High School. They all graduated, along with Imani Puller and Emily Martin, two of our teaching assistants. We wish them all great success in their college education.

From top-left to bottom-right: Jada Schutt, Katharine Yoder, Imani Puller, Emily Martin, Sydney Cave, Brianna Seekford, Reagan Johnson, and Allan Stull.

April

A group of our teaching assistants (who are part of our HUBZone staff) put together a video about how their jobs through the HUBZone program helped them and what they learned.

2020

October

The Asian American Chamber of Commerce recognized our corporate citizenship with a Corporate Social Responsibility Award.

May

SD Solutions LLC awarded scholarships to five students to pursue their college education. The scholarship winners were T. Wright, T. Gamble, and N. Hasmukh from Luray High School and M. Ramey and A. Markham from Page County High School. We wish them great success in their college education.

December

SD Solutions LLC received a Top 100 MBE Award from the Capital Region Minority Supplier Diversity Council

2019

August

SD Solutions LLC was part of an Industry-led cybersecurity workforce development research initiative by HBCUs. Our president was part of the group that presented a research report to the Honorable HUD Secretary, Dr. Ben Carson.

May

SD Solutions LLC awarded scholarships to four students to pursue their college education.

Two of the winners were G. Rippel and R. Milam, pictured below, from Page County High School.

The other scholarship winners were M. Hamilton (far left) and G. Liscomb (second from right) from Luray High School.

2018

December

SD Solutions LLC received a Top 100 MBE Award from the Capital Region Minority Supplier Diversity Council.

May

SD Solutions LLC awarded scholarships to four students to pursue their college education. The number of students receiving scholarship awards and part-time jobs from rurual Virginia increased to 30 from 2013.

January

A new curriculum shaped by Parents Against Depression (PAD) in collaboration with SD Solutions LLC was taught at high schools in Page County. Its objectives were to spread awareness about depression, prevent suicide, and help save lives.

Learn More

2017

June

Four deserving students were selected to receive annual scholarship awards with financial assistance toward their college tuition.

May

The SD Solutions LLC Team was nominated for innovation in the K-12 Education Category at the Shenandoah Valley Tech Council (SVTC). Our team was comprised of employee Patrick Graybeal , PCHS math teacher Eric Johnston, and supervisor Kathy Chrisman, who delivered innovative solutions in multiple formats to enrich the classroom teaching experience.

We look forward to strengthening our ongoing collaboration, which began in 2013 with Superintendent Donna Whitley-Smith and Director of Instruction Eric Benson at Page County Schools, with a view toward expanding educational and professional opportunities for students.

In May, SD Solutions LLC was also nominated as the US Treasury Department Small Business Prime of the Year – FY 2016 by the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) for exceptional work as a prime contractor at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

March

Balaji Venkatesan, president of SD Solutions LLC, was nominated as the SBA’s Small Business Person of the Year for the State of Virginia for accomplishments in several categories, including for SD Solutions LLC’s work in rural communities.

2016

November

SD Solutions LLC sponsored a program in partnership with Page County Public Schools and Parents Against Depression Inc (PAD) to bring educational sessions to our community. The Page Alliance and Luray-Page Chamber of Commerce also assisted with this program.

Three presentations from PAD were delivered: one to Page County High School seniors, one to Luray High School seniors, and another that was open to all citizens. The passionate delivery by the founders of PAD, who shared years of research to help arm local youth and their families with information about depression, was well received.

July

SD Solutions LLC conducted Virginia Cyber Camp in Washington, DC, and brought students and staff from high schools in Page County, Viriginia (a desginated HUBZone) and included leaders in cybersecurity (CISO/ISSO/SME). Inspired by Governor McAulliffe’s initiative to support challenged divisions in Virginia, SD Solutions LLC was proud to sponsor and conduct this event to benefit both students and staff.