The Kimberly Business Professionals of America Chapter has found remarkable success this school year. They are happy to be ending this school year with their trip to Chicago, Illinois for the BPA National Convention. This week will be full of education, competitions, networking, and growing together.
This year they had 22 students qualify and out of those, 20 attended. There was so much excitement around this trip from all students as they were eagerly preparing. These students competed in various events that included testing, presenting, programming, and so much more. To be able to come this far was an amazing accomplishment and we are so proud of all their hard work, dedication, and time. There were also five amazing advisors/chaperones who went and were ready to cheer these students on and help them with whatever they need.
When asked what they were most excited about at the conference, Mattie Shaw said, “I am most excited to meet new people from faraway places because it doesn’t matter how awkward our interactions are, I'll never see them again.”
Along with the competitions they will be part of, the students and advisors can attend various workshops and classes to learn and gain skills which will help them in their future. Attending these workshops and meetings allow them to make new friendships as well. At this conference there will also be different booths where students can network with different businesses and organizations.
When Jonathan Higbee discussed his experience from past national conferences and what he has looked forward to, he said, “This national trip I am looking forward to experiencing what the location provides. Chicago is full of things to see and places to go. Last year at Anaheim we got to experience everything the city had to offer and I'm excited to see what Chicago has in store for us.”
This trip is all about allowing these awesome students to compete, gain experience, and learn. However, they also plan to have fun and make memories together. They have varying tours planned so they can experience and learn about the city of Chicago. The hours of preparing and planning are coming together and paying off for each of them.
When talking about tours, Madie Schrenk stated, “I am looking forward to the aquarium and jet speedboat tour.”
Kaite Carter added, “I am also excited for the aquarium because I love fish. I also think the Museum of Science and Industry and the Field Museum will super cool and fun.”
This week will be so much fun for this group of students and advisors. They leave Thursday, May 9th and return Tuesday, May 14th. We are proud of all their accomplishments thus far. They will represent our community in a positive way at the national level. Best of luck to all participants!