Following a strong showing throughout their entire season and the state meet, Business Professionals of America (BPA) is sending four of its members to the national competition May 1-5 in Anaheim, CA.

“I love seeing the pride they have for what they accomplished,” advisor Jennifer Walker said. “They should be proud of themselves.”

BPA is an organization leading students in the direction of “pursuing careers in business management, office administration, information technology and other related career fields” according to their LT webpage. Competitions include events on issues such as Finance, Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Digital Communication, Marketing, and many others, advisor Krista Wilcox said.

The team is sending four of the team members to nationals including, Daniel Kiely ‘21, Alex Stomberg ‘20, Mira Dedhia ‘21, and Anne Caplice ‘19. Each team member is advancing to the national competition in their respective events, with Kiely in Advanced Spreadsheet Applications and Intermediate Word Processing, Stomberg in Computer Security, Mira Dedhia in Payroll Accounting, and Caplice in Business Meeting Management Concepts.

“I’m really excited going into nationals,” Caplice said, “Every year I enter the season thinking how cool it would be if I qualified for nationals, but I never thought that it would actually happen.”

Although the team has downsized since last year, going from 74 to 54 members, the team continued to have a strong showing throughout the season. Many team members qualified for state this year, Caplice said.

“I’d say we’re stronger,” Caplice said. “The competition has definitely been tough but everyone’s put a lot of hard work which showed because we took a lot of [members] to the state competition.”

During competitions, students either take tests, write papers, or present on a certain topic. Students who take tests have been able to prepare for big meets, such as state and nationals, by taking practice tests during practice, Wilcox said.

“I’ve also enjoyed working with the students who are in events that are more like tests,” Wilcox said. “Some of the students really take the time to come in and ask questions so that they are better prepared for their competition. It is rewarding to hear them come out of the test and feel like all of their preparation and practice paid off.”

The four members who qualified for nationals and both advisors are excited to end the season strong. Given the work put into the different events by each team member, the advisors are satisfied, Walker said.

“It is very satisfying to see members rewarded for all their efforts,” Walker said. “There is preparation for each event whether it is working on a prepared speech, researching for a new business, journalizing accounting transactions, or writing code to make a program work. For us as advisers it is a thrill watching a member grow and improve throughout the year. We are excited for the opportunity ahead.”

Reaching the national level is an achievement in any club or activity. Following the strong state finish, members representing the club are excited to advance, Caplice said.

“I guess I should be nervous but honestly I’m just really excited for the whole experience,” Caplice said “It’s going to be a great way to end my four year run with the club.”