Madison Reporter

Middleton High School senior athlete and scholar Netra Somasundaram recently competed in the National State Farm ‘Dollars and $ense’ competition, representing the 100 Black Men of Madison (100 BMM) organization at the 38th annual 100 Black Men of America conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Netra placed third in the competition alongside her teammates from the Madison-Metropolitan School District and Verona School District. They competed against 11 teams, including members from the Atlanta metro area and Indianapolis. The participants were tasked with a case study involving a financial literacy problem and had to develop solutions to address it.

The conference featured special guest speakers Steve Harvey and Vice President Kamala Harris, who led discussions on economic opportunities and ways to support Black communities, particularly focusing on different avenues for business owners to gain access to capital.

Netra attended the conference with Middleton High School’s Athletic Director and 100 BMM Board of Directors member Jamie Sims. Together, they participated in networking activities and learned more about the theme of this year's conference: 'future-proofing' youth for lifelong success.

The 100 Black Men of Madison organization is a chapter of the 100 Black Men of America organization. This chapter aims to positively impact local youth, particularly African American males, through programs focused on mentoring, education, health and wellness, and economic development. The chapter has actively supported its community by providing donations of backpacks and school supplies to students in need each school year.

"Congratulations again, Netra," an official statement read. "Thank you for representing MCPASD with poise and excellence!"