Twenty Polaris Business Professional & Office Technology, Broadcasting & Video Production, and Marketing & Entrepreneurship students recently competed at the Business Professionals of America (BPA) National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California. BPA is a national student organization for young people who are pursuing careers in finance, business administration, management information systems, digital communication & design, management marketing & communication, and health administration. Nationwide, BPA has more than 46,000 student members in over 1,800 chapters spread across 25 states and Puerto Rico. These competitions give students the opportunity to showcase their technical skills while performing in a high-pressure setting, preparing them for good-paying jobs after graduation. Thousands of student delegates competed in over 90 events this year.
Polaris placed first in two events – financial portfolio management team and the social media marketing challenge. The financial portfolio management team, all juniors from the Polaris Business Professional & Office Technology program, consisted of Olivia Callahan, Brooklyn High School, Addison Loescher, Fairview High School, Veera Patel, Berea-Midpark High School, and Julie Beshara, Strongsville High School. In this event, the students competed in an online simulation starting with an initial investment of $100,000. All teams that placed in the top 20 in terms of portfolio value were invited to give a virtual presentation highlighting their successes and challenges. The winning team had the highest cumulative score. Logan Gomez, a Polaris Business Professional & Office Technology senior from Olmsted Falls High School, won the Stukent Social Media Marketing Competition and was awarded $500. During this challenge, participants used their social media marketing skills to manage a weekly budget in simulated ad dollars for a fictitious, global bag company. They applied their social media skills on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Polaris finished in the top three in three additional events. Mason Fiorilli, a Business Professional & Office Technology senior from North Olmsted High School, finished second in banking & finance. Polaris also took third place in the financial portfolio management team event. That team consisted of juniors Steven Goodnough, Olmsted Falls High School, Braeden Mueller, Olmsted Falls High School, Jessica Paracsi, Fairview High School, and Samantha VanHove, Strongsville High School. Finally, llyanna Egans, senior, and Brayden Cupach, junior, both from the Polaris Marketing & Entrepreneurship program at Berea-Midpark High School, placed third in the branding team event and won “best in show” with their conference display.
Congratulations to all our national BPA winners and competitors!