The Business Professionals of America (BPA) hosted their annual State Leadership Conference the last weekend of February in Oakbrook where McHenry dominated.
The annual State Leadership Conference held about 1,200 competitors from around 50 schools where the best of the best competed in separate events such as mock interviews, accounting, broadcast news and small business management consulting .
13 of McHenry’s own students qualified for nationals in all different categories.
“I’m competing in two categories,” said senior Rachel Krey. “I’m in Presentation Individual and Ethics and Professionalism. I’m very excited for how it will turn out.”
Krey ended up qualifying for nationals where she received fifth in ethics and professionalism and fourth in presentation individual.
“This opportunity allows me to meet other people in the area from other schools who are also competing,” said Krey. “It is fun to see the competitive environment that’s out there.
The participants say BPA has given students opportunities of a lifetime.
MCHS senior Micheal Os, who is the vice president of finance and is in charge of the school store where he does things such as inventory to make sure things are running smoothly. Os was recommended for this position and started going to the meetings to get where he is now.
Competitions can sometimes be stressful, but overall a good experience.
“The competition was a stressful kind of weekend,” said senior Ary Juarez, who placed second in Broadcast News Production Team. “But at the same time, it did have some ups where we got to meet some really cool people and make really good friends. It was a really good experience, and I got to get out of my comfort zone and have fun.”
Preparing for a competition is important to ensure success.
“The first day, me and my partner sat down and went through our clips and made sure everything was perfect,” said Juarez. “We did last minute changes with things such as audio signal changes, etc. … The next morning we got up and worked on our presentation and figured out what to say and talk about to ensure success.”
If one wanted to get involved with the BPA, they would be able to do so at the beginning of next school year.
“To get involved in the BPA, you can attend the first meeting which will be at the beginning of next school year in August,” said business education instructor at MCHS Nicholas Valenziano. “They’ll pick your events and compete in three competitions: regionals, state, and nationals.
Behind the BPA, they are doing everything they can to ensure success and bring previously unseen opportunities to light to kids who want to do something important for the school, there is something for everyone.