Two Mid-State Technical College students earned top rankings at the 2024 Business Professionals of America (BPA) National Leadership Conference held May 10 – 14 in Chicago. Students were able to compete at the national event after placing at the Wisconsin BPA State Leadership Conference in February.

Tara Chapman, Tomah, placed in two events, earning fifth place in Presentation Individual and tenth place in Ethics & Professionalism. Chapman graduated from Mid-State’s Business Management, Human Resources Assistant, Entrepreneur and Project Management programs in December 2022. She is currently enrolled in the Digital Marketing program. She is also the vice president of Mid-State’s BPA chapter and BPA’s Wisconsin Post-Secondary Division membership officer.

Rhonda Martinson, Wisconsin Rapids, a current Leadership Development program student, earned eighth place in the Human Resources Management event. Martinson graduated from the Human Resources Assistant program in December 2019, the Business Management, Project Management and Entrepreneur programs in May 2020 and the Customer Relationship Professional program in December 2023. She is the president of Mid-State’s BPA chapter and is the secretary for BPA’s Wisconsin Post-Secondary Division.

“Placing in the top 10 at a national competition is a huge accomplishment, and we are so proud of Tara and Rhonda for their achievements,” said Sharon Behrens, Business Technology instructor. “The national conference is an opportunity for our BPA students to showcase the work they have put in throughout the year to enhance their skills. They will then be able to take these skills and apply them in their careers.”

BPA’s competitive events give students the opportunity to demonstrate workplace skills learned through business education curricula. The national conference brought together delegates from across the country to vie for top honors in business, finance, technology, marketing and health administration skills competitions; attend leadership and professional development workshops; receive awards for community service activities and elect BPA’s 2024–2025 national student leadership team.

Business Professionals of America (BPA) is the premier Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for middle, high school and college/university students preparing for careers in business and information technology. BPA provides opportunities for growth through education, competitive events, leadership development and community service. The organization has more than 51,000 members in schools in the United States and China. Learn more at bpa.org.

To learn more about Mid-State’s programs in the Business, Management and Administration cluster, visit mstc.edu/programs.