Following Central’s Business Professionals of America successful performance at state last week, 10 students qualified for nationals and an additional nine finished in the top 10 of their respective categories.

BPA is a competitive club for students interested in the field of business. Competitions are divided into categories ranging from multimedia presentation events to logo design. The club is also involved in charitable work, notably their annual school-wide blood drive.

For Otto Zhen, a junior who finished fourth in state and qualified for nationals, BPA is a fantastic experience. “By competing in events, I was able to experience the hands-on skills that might be necessary in a job for my respective field,” Zhen said.

At the state competition held partially at Central and partially at the Doubletree Hotel in Oakbrook, strong first place finishes from Robert Scales, Ankit Aggarwal, and Lilllian Lueng displayed the hard work the BPA members have been putting into practice. The 10 students who qualified for nationals will continue on to the national level competition later this year.

For Zhen, nationals will be a proving ground for the Hinsdale team. “Our goal is to continue the success achieved at state this year. We have a good shot at winning some categories and will come prepared.”

Students who qualified for nationals:

Sarah Hansen—Fundamental Accounting 2nd Place, Basic Office Procedures, 3rd Place
Robert Chun, Robert Scales, Milan Shah, Dave Lorenc—Economic Research Project Team, 2nd Place
Robert Scales—Computerized Accounting, 1st Place
Ankit Aggarwal—Desktop Publishing, 1st Place
Lillian Leung—Legal Office Procedures, 1st Place
Amani Malik—Graphic Design Promotion, 2nd Place
Andrew Scott—Graphic Design Promotion, 3rd Place
Otto Zhen—Fundamental Spreadsheets, 4th Place