Aiden Sandilla, a freshman at Crown Point High School, qualified for the Indiana Business Professionals of America (BPA) state competition and won 2nd.
BPA is a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for middle school, high school, and college students pursuing careers in business. This was Aiden Sandilla’s first year in BPA.
“[Going to the state BPA competition], it was really nice. It was good to compete, and also to talk with a lot of friends and meet people from other schools. The free time in between, hanging out with friends, and walking around the city of Indianapolis. Yeah, it was a really good time,” Sandilla said.
Competing in the state BPA competition wasn’t just about the competitive aspect; it was about connecting with friends and exploring new places. For Sandilla, memories made outside of the events were also meaningful, like the starting session.
“My favorite session was probably the opening session, because it was really cool. It was really energetic, and it was nice too, for my first time being at the state competition, to see everyone together and kind of just understand what the sessions were like,” Sandilla said.
While the energy of the opening session left a lasting impression on Sandilla, the challenge of preparing for the competition itself was not forgotten. That meant spending time revising work, hoping to improve from regionals.
“My event was an administrative support research project, so it was a 7-page research project that included a 7-minute presentation in front of judges. I just tweaked the things based on the requirements for the state competition, the things that have changed. I also changed the format of my presentation to better fit the state competition,” Sandilla said.
In order to improve, Sandilla looks back on his success. Sandilla believes that these adjustments helped prepare him for the state competition; however, there were still areas for improvement.
“I think that my presentation, even though tweaking was done, could have still used some work, even though I did get second. I feel like the extra work or the extra skills in the speaking aspect could have helped,” Sandilla said.
Ultimately, Sandilla enjoyed and learned from his time at the BPA state. Participating in the state competition and earning second place was a great achievement, but the experience also highlighted the importance of continuing to grow. Looking ahead, Sandilla is motivated to keep improving for success in future competitions and develop his academic and professional skills.
