This past Saturday, 28 students from Metea advanced to the state level of the club Business Professionals of America (BPA) at Oakbrook. BPA offers students the chance to explore their interests in business-related endeavors, from finance to IT, entrepreneurship and more. It features two different types of activities: written testing and presentations. For many, the event was exciting and a fun time.

“We had a lot of events to choose from,” junior Riya Alwala said. “I landed on something that I enjoyed and I had a lot more fun at state because of that.”

For some, the competition did not go their way. For junior Shiv Krishana, there was a lot of excitement going into the event, but some mindset shifts and poor interpretations of advice caused his performance to be subpar. He still maintains his optimism as he continues forward.

“I competed for Presentation Management,” Krishana said. “I felt terrible, thinking that I got here last year and I still last anyway, but afterward I began to understand that this was an opportunity to grow. I could pinpoint what went wrong and fully know my potential and worth. I firmly believe that my time will come next year.”

The stress and pressure caused by performing or testing at state caused many people to feel nervous throughout the weekend and after their performances. In spite of this, some of the attendees found their own way to have fun.

“There were mosh pits, music, food, a banquet, and tons of other stuff,” junior Rishvanth Amsaraj said. “There were so many [fun things] that happened besides the BPA event itself.”

Despite the setbacks and disappointments of the day, most BPA members agree that the experience was completely worth it. They encourage anyone even mildly intrigued by BPA to give it a shot.

“Anyone interested in technology, business, or creativity should absolutely join,” Alwala said.