Earlier this May, members of Mayo’s chapter of the Business Professionals of America Club (BPA) embarked on a trip to the national competition for BPA in Chicago, Illinois.

For those who may not know about BPA is a career and technical organization providing students and members with skill development in the field of business practices, including but not limited to professionalism, public speaking, and finance. as well as providing the opportunity to make personal connections. According to BPA’s literature, their goal is to “develop and empower student leaders to discover their passion and change the world by creating unmatched opportunities in learning, professional growth and service.”

After an encouraging departure from Mayo High School, the BPA members received transportation to the Minneapolis airport where they flew to Chicago. They met up with the Stewartville group who were led by our new advisor, Mr. Holland.

Upon arrival at the hotel the team met up with other students surrounding the entrance and lobby, as the opening ceremony was about to begin. Most of the students had their events the following day, but some took place on Sunday.

Included with the trip, the BPA team was treated to a White Sox baseball game and a trip to Top Golf. Both were great experiences, but Top Golf proved to be the most enjoyable. Upon arrival the weather was perfect for the activity; they began striking the golf balls as far as they could, challenging each other to see how many points they could rack up. It was quite fun overall, not to mention they received free food.

One of the first events was Fundamental Desktop Publishing. One thing Axel Tinejero didn’t expect to see “was the huge line of competitors for the event, I’m quite certain that it was at least near 100 because of how many people I saw, and the entrance for the event was quite far too.” That made sense, though because the competition drew teams from all fifty states. Still, that did not discourage Mayo’s team, and as Tinejero explains, “I gave it my all during the exam itself, which was to create multiple digital documents in an allotted time of 90 minutes using digital design/publishing software.”

Once everyone’s events were finished, it was time for the awards ceremony on Monday. Ana Medina took sixth place in the nation in the “Entrepreneurship” category. Sammy Shao placed in three different categories, earning an eighth place in “Financial Math & Analysis,” twelfth place in “Personal Financial Management,” and thirteenth place in “Banking & Finance.” Remember, these are national rankings. Congratulations, Axel, Ana, and Sammy, for a fantastic showing at the National BPA competition.

If you want to be a part of BPA, contact the moderators through their page on Mayo’s Club Hub.