The journey to nationals is treacherous. Immense effort, rigor, and discipline are required to reach nationals. After countless endeavors, BPA (Business Professionals of America) made it to nationals in Orlando, Florida.
Florida is very far away. Its sabal palms differ from Kansas’s cottonwoods. With the changes in the environment established, it’s no surprise that students learn many valuable lessons.
“It is always really fun to take the kids. There are always a couple [of kids] that have never flown on an airplane, never gone to a conference like this, or been out of Kansas,” BPA advisor Jessica Crabtree said, “It’s fun to watch the students grow just in the five days we are gone.”
As BPA competes, requirements surge. Many at nationals are proficient in their fields, so efforts are required.
“BPA is an organization for students to compete in business-related competitions as well as find scholarship opportunities and learn more about the workplace,” junior Dayali Sanchez said.
Many fields of work diverge from the rays of business, so it’s no surprise that Peck has gained guidance in the medical field from BPA.
“There are medical parts in BPA, like tests you can take over coding and insurance, [the kind of things I want to do],” freshman Riley Peck said.
Newton High School students and BPA members alike were overjoyed that their school was able to participate in nationals.
“[I was] very excited for nationals. There are a lot of great opportunities at nationals that you cannot find in Kansas,” Sanchez said, “It lets you expand more.”
A prominent event impacts the lives of the people involved, especially one that requires sacrifice, and that’s why BPA students find their lives have been impacted by nationals.
“I have missed a lot of school for it, and I have had to stay up late studying for the tests and going over the things that could be on them,” Peck said.
Crabtree invested a sizeable amount of effort into providing her students with the support they needed to excel at nationals.
“I critique their event and help them find resources that they need,” Crabtree said, “Once we’re there, I support them, help them [with] where to go and what they need to do.”
BPA members overflow with ambition. Their ambition fuels their preparation efforts, skyrocketing them to a position in which they can excel.
“For my events, they offer a lot of practice tests. You can look over old tests, so that is what I did. [When testing,] I read some of the material I was allowed to bring into the testing area,” Sanchez said.
Crabtree provided resources that were extremely helpful to her students.
“Our advisor gave us a sheet of different workshops and internships we could do in our free time. I looked over it to see what I needed to do,” Peck said.
Nationals are buzzed with activity. The constant stream of events manifested countless opportunities for the Newton BPA students who attended.
“We got to do a couple of fun things while we were there, but the majority of it was spent at the conference. [The students] competed in the events that they qualified for, took open events, did a competition that’s all about BPA knowledge, and [attended] workshops,” Crabtree said. “There [were] people from Alaska and China.”
Memories, knowledge, and experience were gained in Orlando this year. Many will continue to stem from BPA, even as new students join and the world around us changes.
“[If you are interested in joining BPA,] decide from the get-go how far you want to go. If you want to run for state office or want to place nationally, it takes a bit [of] effort. Decide what you want to do and have fun while doing it. That is one of the most important things about BPA,” Sanchez said.
