After a successful showing at the state competition in March, five Frenship High School Business Professionals of America (BPA) students advanced to the prestigious BPA National Leadership Conference.
BPA is the nation’s leading Career and Technical Student Organization for students pursuing careers in business management, information technology, finance, accounting, office administration, and other related fields.
Representing Frenship at the national level were Arien Garza, Michael Maddox, Camden Reese, and Osirus Zepeda, who competed in the Video Production Team event, and Preston Lowder, who competed in the Banking and Finance category.
“These boys worked extremely hard, and this was a great opportunity,” said BPA sponsor Wendy Jones. “To say I’m proud is an understatement. We weren’t just competing against schools from across the U.S., but also from other countries. To finish in the top 100 is a really big deal.”
Beyond the competition, the National Leadership Conference offers students a chance to connect with peers from around the globe. One of the most anticipated traditions is pin trading, where students bring state- or country-specific pins to exchange, sparking conversations and building friendships.
At the national competition, the student competitors from around the world have the opportunity to meet and interact. They encourage this experience through pin trading. Each state and county brings pins for their students to trade and facilitate conversation with. Jones explained that everyone comes out of their shell to try to collect different state and country pins.
While the teams did not place in the top 10 at the national competition, they learned so much about the contest and got to meet some amazing peers and advisors. Most of the Frenship competitors are seniors and look forward to competing at the collegiate level.
Jones explained that for the returning students, they are going to hit the ground running next year. They hope to send even more competitors to nationals next year to represent Frenship and all the great things they are doing.