KCCC students qualify for Business Professionals of America national competition

Knox County Career Center students in CollegeU-Business, Computer Network Technology, Digital Media & Software Development, and Pre-Professional Mentorship competed in the Business Professionals of America State competition held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus on Feb. 23.

BPA held their annual BPA State Leadership Conference Awards Ceremony on Feb. 24 where 20 KCCC students were recognized as Top 10 finishers in the state of Ohio. Of those 20, eight students qualified for the BPA National Leadership Conference, which will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, from May 6-10. To qualify for the BPA National Leadership Conference, students in individual events had to place in the top eight, and students in team events had to place in the top three.

KCCC had eight students who qualified for the BPA National Leadership Conference.

— Sierra Shields (CollegeU-Business), first place, Business Law and Ethics.

—Elizabeth Swartzentruber (CollegeU-Business), second, Advanced Spreadsheet Applications.

— Kale Oswalt (CollegeU-Business), second, Extemporaneous Speech.

— Logan Woolverton (Computer Network Technology), second, Server Administration Using Microsoft.

— Peyton Blakesley (CollegeU-Business), fourth, Integrated Office Applications.

— Ethan Kapper (Computer Network Technology), fifth, Server Administration Using Microsoft.

— Blake Spittle (Computer Network Technology), fifth, Computer Security.

— Zachary Taylor (CollegeU-Business), sixth, Banking and Finance.

KCCC also had 12 other students who placed in the Top 10 but did not qualify for nationals. Gabrielle Beck, Brooklyn Cook, and Jocelyn Scarbury (CollegeU-Business) finished in fourth place in the Small Business Management Team. Maggie Bond, Layla Joyner, Nevaeh Ward, and Eve Wells (Pre-Professional Mentorship) finished in sixth place for the Global Marketing Team. Isaac Danzuso, Gavin DeChant, Gage Kearns, and Kyle Maslowski (Computer Network Technology) finished in eighth place for the Network Design Team. Myla Miller (Digital Media & Software Development) finished in tenth place in Fundamental Desktop Publishing.

“We are extremely proud of our students who competed at the BPA State Leadership Conference. Knox County was under a Level 2 Snow Emergency, and KCCC was closed. Thank you to the parents who transported their own students down to Columbus to compete," said Kathy Greenich, KCCC Superintendent.

Greenich added, “We’d also like to thank Tina Krosse, Ohio BPA State Advisor, and Patrick Schultz, BPA’s National CEO, for making it possible for the rest of our students to compete remotely. Without their help, our students would not have been able to compete for a chance to qualify for nationals.”

BPA is a career technical student organization that allows students to compete in various competitions in the areas of Finance, Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Digital Communications and Design, Management, Marketing and Communications, and Health Administration.

The mission of BPA is to develop and empower student leaders to discover their passion and change the world by creating unmatched opportunities for learning, professional growth, and service. As a co-curricular organization, BPA has the ability to enhance student participation in professional, civic, service, and social endeavors. BPA members participate in these activities to accomplish their goals of self-improvement, leadership development, professionalism, community service, career development, public relations, student cooperation, safety, and health.