“KCCC Students Qualify for Business Professionals of America National Competition”

Mount Vernon, OH – Knox County Career Center (KCCC) students competed in the
Business Professionals of America (BPA) State competition held in Columbus, Ohio on March 9
& 10.
KCCC had 7 students who qualified for nationals in the BPA State competition. The 7
national qualifiers from KCCC will compete in the BPA National Leadership Conference in
Anaheim, California from April 26-30.
Lydia Burak, senior in CollegeU-Business, won 1st place in Entrepreneurship. Chelsea
Perkins, junior in CollegeU-Business, won 2nd place in Extemporaneous Speech. Shelby
Oswalt, senior in Pre-Professional Mentorship, won 2nd place in Administrative Support
Research Project Individual. Sophie Snively, senior in Pre-Professional Mentorship, won 3rd
place in Interview Skills. Nick Murphy, senior in Computer Network Technology, won 3rd place in
Network Administration Using CISCO. Jeremy Risko, junior in Computer Network Technology,
won 4th place in Device Configuration & Troubleshooting. Logan O’Brien, senior in Computer
Network Technology, won 5th place in Server Admin Using Microsoft. Burak and O’Brien have
now earned back-to-back trips to BPA Nationals, having qualified last year as juniors.
BPA is a career technical student organization that allows students to compete in various
competitions in the areas of Finance, Business Administration, Management Information
Systems, Digital Communications and Design, Management, Marketing and Communications,
and Health Administration.
The mission of BPA is to develop and empower student leaders to discover their passion
and change the world by creating unmatched opportunities in learning, professional growth, and
service. As a co-curricular organization, BPA has the ability to enhance student participation in
professional, civic, service, and social endeavors. BPA members participate in these activities to

accomplish their goals of self-improvement, leadership development, professionalism,
community service, career development, public relations, student cooperation, safety, and
health.