Memorial High School’s BPA Heads To Competition

Memorial High School’s Business Professionals of America (BPA) club has grown greatly this year, with students looking for ways to get their feet wet in the business world. BPA is a nationally recognized student organization that helps students all over the country grow their understanding of business and prepare them for careers in various different fields.

At Memorial, there are teams competing in small business management, financial analysis, economic research, virtual design, and even broadcast news production. Over the past couple of months, each team has been working incredibly hard, preparing for their upcoming competition.

On Saturday, January 27, 2024, schools from all over the Houston area gathered at The Woodlands High School, ready to showcase their projects in the regional competition. Luisa Llaneza Avogadro was a part of the small business management team alongside Keira Donovan, Colin Delmoro, and myself, and shared her experience with me: “I enjoyed the BPA competition because my group and I got to see our hard work pay off. It was also great to experience something new alongside my friends.”

The small business management team was presented with a topic regarding the management of a social media influencer. The prompt asked the team to find a way to expand the given entrepreneur’s business further while maximizing their profit and maintaining an authentic connection with their audience. The team enjoyed getting to research topics in this realm, as social media content creation is a trailblazing and prominent job in today’s society. The small business management team at Memorial High School ended up placing third overall and currently sits in a state alternate position.

Caroline Fenz, member of the presentation team, enjoyed sharing a first-place victory with her teammates: “Winning first place felt amazing because it was a huge relief and it proved that our hard work paid off. The whole group put so much effort into the project, so we were really proud and excited that we won. We went into the competition feeling confident with our work because of the weeks we spent in preparation.” Caroline and her team worked relentlessly, curating an informative slideshow regarding non-compete clauses. On the day of the competition, the team presented non-compete clauses in an understandable and digestible way, leading them to first place. The presentation team will be continuing on to the state competition in a few weeks.

After a day full of intense competition, many Memorial students returned home with a little more knowledge than before: better public speaking skills, good sportsmanship, and friendly competition among other Houston schools. Memorial’s Business Professionals of America club is excited to see the future for Memorial High School in these competitions and encourages more students to join!