Xavier BPA students shine at state competition

CEDAR RAPIDS - After competing in a three-day business conference, every member of Xavier's Business Professionals of America (BPA) chapter qualified to advance to the national competition.

Members of BPA participated in the 2017 State BPA Conference in Des Moines. Each young business professional won at least one award and 26 students qualified for the national BPA competition.

That national competition is in Orlando in May.

The Office Education Association was originally formed in 1966 and over the years developed into what is now called Business Professionals of America. BPA historically is a student organization that works to prepare students to become global professionals. The organization focuses on the advancement of leadership, citizenship, academic and technological skills for middle school, high school and college-level students.

Students can get involved in Xavier's BPA chapter by invitation from business teacher Tim O'Brien. He invites his top business students, as well as students who regularly take business classes. He also invites students who were involved in BPA in previous years to return.

'My favorite part is the student growth,” O'Brien said. 'I enjoy seeing the students grow by having a greater depth and breadth of their classroom subjects. This takes them beyond the classroom and gives them a vision for their future. I also like the awards.”

At the state event, students participate in different events like exams, presentations and mock interviews. Presentations and interviews are judged events. These events provide students with real world, hands-on business skills that prepare them for a career in business as well as other fields. Other skills include communication, teamwork and adaptability.

Saints who qualify to advance to the national competition do so as a result of their state awards for placing at least in the top five in a Competitive Individual Event, in the top three in an Individual Judged Event, the top two in a Team Event or first place in an Open Event.

'BPA has been a really good experience for me because it has deepened my business and computing skills,” junior business student Peter Binder said. 'It's fun to make new social contacts while in a professional manner.”

Binder qualified for nationals and brought home eight awards, including first place in Integrated Office Applications, second in Advanced Office Applications and second Presentation Management Team.

Along with Binder, 25 other students qualified for the national competition - seniors Brett Burns, Ariana Devereaux, Luke Duball, Josie Fuhrman, Liz Hessman, Luke Hewitt, Jacob Jordebrek, Emily Latteyer and Annie Sigmon; juniors Sophia Cataldo, Gabi Cummings, Emily Cunningham, Calvin Ford, Nick Hentges, Ethan Lowder, Tyler Nachman, Abby Pisney, Sarah Schirm and Trenton Smith; and sophomores Ben Conrad, Gus Furhman, Matthew Jordebrek, Anthony Karl, Evan Lemker and Max Terfler.

Many students qualified in more than two events. However, at nationals, students are only permitted to participate in two events and those who qualified in three or more will have to choose two. Students who qualified in a team event must choose to participate in it at nationals. If a student qualified in multiple individual events, they sit down with O'Brien and discuss which events they feel they would have the best opportunity to place in at nationals.