Temple HS Business Students Qualify for State Competition

TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple High School chapter of Business Professionals of America (BPA) had a strong showing at the organization’s Regional Leadership Conference last weekend in Mesquite. Seven students earned State Qualifier spots with another eight students securing State Alternate positions in competitions held during the conference.

Temple High School’s Sophia Gilmore and Nevaeh Tobe teamed up to win first place in Global Marketing and Jamarri Thrasher claimed first place in Entrepreneurship. Saraphina Livesay took second place in Administrative Support Research, Steve Baca posted a third-place finish in Intermediate Word Processing, Mason Abbey finished in fourth place in Fundamental Word Processing, and Jazaria Clinton took fifth place in Personal Finance. All seven of those students qualified to advance to the State Competition February 27-March 2 in Dallas.

Gilmore and Tobe had to create and present a marketing plan for a virtual reality headset for the Global Marketing competition. That presentation included a slide show based on a 12-page research document that included everything from goals for the company to analysis of competition to pricing strategy.

“It was a really emotional moment for me because we have been working since the beginning of the school year to get this done and have been practicing so hard and looking forward to the competition,” said Gilmore, a senior. “It is such a great opportunity for us to learn new things and then you can take those skills and apply them as you move on and get older. You can carry this with you after high school.”

“It probably didn’t really hit me until later that night and that’s when I got emotional,” added Tobe, a junior. “For me, it has helped build confidence and it will be great to be able to put this on my resume. I want to be an accountant and I think this can really help me moving forward to further my career and build on what I have learned.”

Thrasher had to prepare a complete business plan for a clothing line. He then presented that plan to judges. Thrasher hopes to have his own clothing line one day and sees this competition as another step toward helping him learn the skills needed to reach that goal.

“It was such a great moment when I found out because my family was able to be there, too,” Thrasher, a senior, said. “It is great to be able to put this on a resume and will also be a great memory for me. Competing in these business events has really helped motivate me to go to college and I definitely recommend it to anyone who has a chance to compete. Putting together a business plan is something I was going to need to do anyway, so this was a good opportunity to do that.”  

Other students posting top finishes included Desary Serrano and Asly Amaya Mendez with a third-place finish in Visual Design Team, Victoria Carrizales with a third-place finish in Human Resource Management and De’ashia Lewis with a sixth-place finish in Fundamental Word Processing. Leonardo Sanchez, Alicia Martinez, and Rubi Munoz teamed up for a sixth-place finish in Website Design Team and Arianna Medina added a sixth-place finish in Economic Research Individual. These eight students are all State Alternates bases on their finishes.

The motto for Texas Business Professional of America is “Today’s students, tomorrow’s business leaders.” The Temple High School chapter’s advisor says competing in these events gives her students more than just an opportunity to advance to state, it also gives them the chance to continue to build skills they will use once they graduate high school and move on to college or the workforce.

“It was extremely exciting and overwhelming because these kids really put their heart and soul into this competition. We were all so excited because we couldn’t believe how many placed and it was amazing to see them realize that they can do this and be successful,” said Jessica Cuellar, CTE teacher and BPA advisor at Temple High School. “All of these events are designed to help get students ready to be a business professional and to also be a leader. It has helped open their eyes to new things and they gain so much knowledge and confidence through this competition. It helps give them a feel for what that future might be like as they continue in their respective fields.”

A total of 25 Temple High School students competed in events at the Regional Leadership Conference. Top finishers at the State Leadership Conference will qualify to compete in the BPA National Competition. BPA allows students an opportunity to compete in contests in over 90 categories under six Assessment Areas including: Finance, Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Digital Communication & Design, Management, Marketing, & Communication, and Health Administration.