Newton High School offers a wide range of activities students can participate in, from the different sports to the many different academic programs. However, one program students might not know about is the club Business Professionals of America.
BPA helps students create a lasting impact in their community while working towards impactful goals.
“[Business Professionals of America] allows members to work towards their goals of self-improvement, leadership, professionalism, community service, career development, public relations, student cooperation, safety and health through community service projects and competitions,” senior Virgil Guo said.
Recently, members of BPA competed in their annual regional competition, which will help them later in the school year to prepare for the state competition.
“[BPA Regionals] are competitions at the regional level that serve to prepare members for the State Leadership Conference. It allows members to be comfortable competing in a business professional setting and practice presenting or taking tests,” senior Natalie Sanchez said.
There are a variety of ways to compete in the competition, as many different category options are provided. This way, students find what fits them best.
“[In BPA] you can compete in two Workplace Skill Assessment Program events, which can be either individual or team events. You can also compete in “open” events, which are events that everyone can take and that don’t count for people’s two-event limit. There are also virtual events that you compete in nationally as well as Torch Points, which can earn you state or national-level recognitions for things like displaying leadership,” senior Anahi Sanchez said.
Becoming a part of BPA can help students become more involved in their community and explore different areas of the business process.
“BPA has something for everyone! There are contests in over 90 categories under six assessment areas: finance; business administration; management information systems; digital communication & design; management, marketing & communication; and health administration. The events are diversified even further by their structure. Some events are paper and pencil tests, some are presentations, some are role-play and others require you to submit a research paper or other project,” Natalie Sanchez said.
