SHS Journalism Class: Business Professionals of America heads to state in March
- Washington County Times
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Submitted by Monika Spaulding, Salem High School Journalism Teacher
Written by Brianna Bobo
Business Professionals of America (BPA) gives students the opportunity to develop professional skills, compete at a high level, and gain confidence beyond the classroom.
This year’s Regional Leadership Conference showcased that mission, thanks to the dedication of both students and their advisor Chandra White. The group brought home 22 awards. Now, they will begin preparing for state competition which will be held March 8-10.
White shared that one of the most rewarding parts of competing at regional was seeing students recognized for their effort. “I always enjoy seeing my students earn rewards for their hard work and time spent in competing,” she said.
One of the proudest moments for White came from watching new members succeed. “My most exciting moments were watching the new members earn rewards,”she said.
She specifically highlighted freshman Celeste Burcham’s performance. “I was really proud of Celeste Burcham earning first place, even though it was in a competition that doesn’t go on to state,” she said. “The fact that she did the best on that test compared to every other student in the eight other schools that tried on that test is a big deal.”
Burcham, a freshman, said she was proud of herself and surprised she won her first year. “I chose to do this open class event because it was something I was good at and enjoyed,” she said. “For one of my events I had to make a design and presentation. I did not place for this one because many people did it but it took the longest and was the most difficult, for the event I placed first in I did not have to prepare.”
Burcham said she was very nervous before her presentation and was scared she was going to mess up and do really badly, but she did better than she thought she would. “When I was up there and they called second, I thought to myself that I didn't place but I was ecstatic to find out I got first!”
She said there were some times while she was making her designs and presentation when she wanted to quit because it was a lot to do, but she didn't because she figured she could just push through and finish.
“I think some of my classes, such as PCC and intro to business, really helped me learn and keep that information I needed,” said Burcham. “Some of my teachers in the past kind of helped me understand things like this. Ms.White was really helpful and supportive with the process of making it and helping calm my nerves before. She is also one of my favorite teachers because she's so, so nice and welcoming.”
White emphasized that the students’ success was the result of preparation behind the scenes. “Some of the students studied for their test,” she said. “Layla and Celeste had to create their projects ahead of time and then do a presentation while we were competing. Both girls put in a lot of time prior to the competition to prepare.”
Junior Carson Albertson experienced success of his own at regionals, placing third in Legal Office Procedures. His placement came as a surprise to him. “When I first learned I placed third, I was surprised because I had not gone to the competition due to a basketball game,” Albertson said. “I thought I did awful on both of my events so I was surprised when I realized I placed 3rd.”
Albertson explained why he chose his event. “I chose Legal Office Procedures because I knew that there was typing and multiple choice questions in it,” he said. “I have also taken this test for the past two years. I wanted an event that had a variety of multiple choice and typing.”
Preparing for the competition came with challenges. “The hardest part of preparing was trying to stay focused on the test,” Albertson said. “It was also hard to remember what all I had studied before the test.”
During the competition, he faced moments of doubt. “I had multiple moments specifically when doing the typing part of the test,” he said. “It was very challenging and made me question if I was doing it right at all.”
Despite those challenges, Albertson relied on his preparation to stay focused. “What helped me stay focused was just trying to remember what I had learned or studied previous to the test,” he said.
Looking ahead, White hopes students continue to take advantage of everything BPA offers beyond awards.
“I always hope for each member to do well in their individual competitions, but that is only a small part of the experience that going to state brings for them,” White said, adding that each student has the ability to network with at least 20 other schools and at least 400 other students, meet and obtain information from multiple colleges, learn about various leadership skills that can help them in their future vocations, and earn possible scholarships.
“I hope the students that choose to go compete at state take full advantage of all that is available to them during that time.”
Awards won at the Regional Leadership Conference include: President Ryder Wilson, 4th place in Legal Office Procedures; Vice-President Layla Rutherford, 2nd place in Economic Research Individual and 5th place in Business Law and Ethics; Olivia Davidson, 2nd place in Medical Diagnostic Coding; Gunner Walton, 2nd place in both Computer Network Technology and Computer Security; Carson Albertson, 3rd place in Legal Office Procedures and Tyler Carr, 4th place in PC Servicing and Troubleshooting.