Four years ago, a group of freshman friends at West Chicago Community High School joined a small club for fun and to meet more people. They had been constantly bombarded – as eighth graders – to participate in WEGO clubs and activities. 

In 2023, they attended their first state leadership conference. 

“There were just so many people from different schools, and that allowed me to connect and really just get outside my comfort zone,” senior Brian Nguyen said. 

They never turned back, spending all four years of their high school career in the Business Professionals of America (BPA). The group expanded the small chapter, stepped into leadership roles, and loved every second of the experience. 

Since all great things have to come to an end, the group of friends — now seniors — attended their final state leadership conference on February 26–27. What started as a small group of freshmen had grown over the years, with many more members joining them at the conference. The Wildcat Chronicle was able to gain an inside look at the event.

Each year at the end of February, Illinois BPA members gather for the State Leadership Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Oak Brook. High schools from across the Chicagoland area send members to compete in business-related events after qualifying at the regional level.

The conference is organized by BPA executive directors and led by elected state officers. In addition to competitions, the conference includes keynote speakers, networking opportunities, social events, and fundraising activities. 

Senior students from West Chicago wait for the opening session of the Illinois BPA State Leadership Conference to begin. West Chicago chapter president Nguyen, chapter member Ritwik Jalota, and many others had to stand due to the lack of seating in the ballroom. 

The eight Illinois BPA state officers enter the ballroom one-by-one as their names are called by the head director, Rosie McManamon. During the opening session, officers gave out door prizes, calling random names of any attending member to receive a gift card. 

“The thing that stood out most to me was the collaboration,” senior Joey Marszalek said. “As soon as I walked in, I saw students from different schools introducing themselves and hanging out together. That sense of community is the best part of the conference.”

Then, the stage was given to the keynote speaker, Matt Kovichis, who spoke about how to take care and manage one’s mental health.

To end the opening session, state officer candidates for the upcoming year, who were all seated in the front row, gave speeches in front of the packed ballroom. After their speeches concluded, members were free to leave except eight voting delegates from each school who remained to rank the candidates and determine who would serve as Illinois BPA state officers for the following year.

As many members were competing in tests scattered across Thursday, there was also a lot of room for free time. Senior David Weber from West Chicago Community High School shopped in Macy’s at Oakbrook Mall shopping center, conveniently across the street from the hotel where the State Leadership Conference was taking place. Most members saw themselves going across to the mall to shop for clothes, watch movies at the AMC, and eat at the diverse restaurants in the food court. 

Members also played spikeball at the annual game night hosted by the state officers. Games included cup pong, giant Jenga, ladder ball, and cornhole. Karaoke was also set up so people could sing their hearts out. 

As Friday began, so did the presentation-based events. Members flocked to the hotel basement to find the sheets hung up on the wall to confirm their presentation times and see who the competition was. 

A graphic design team from Oswego East High School arrived early practices early in the morning, before presenting their project to the judges. Throughout the main hallway in the lower level of the hotel, many groups took one final glance over their projects and presented to fellow members prior to standing in front of judges.

After presentations concluded, BPA officers hosted a raffle to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois. Prizes donated by school chapters included gift cards, Owala bottles, JBL speakers, and instant cameras.

The state officers prepare to start the general session, where a representative from Special Olympics Illinois spoke prior to the raffle winners being announced. Students who purchased tickets waited to hear whether their names would be called.

After all prizes were distributed, the officers prepared everyone for Pinstripes with buses outside, ready to transport chapters to the bowling alley.

Junior Aiden Leach of Waubonsie Valley High School plays bocce ball with his friends at Pinstripes. Members were free to bowl, play bocce ball, and enjoy the buffet set up at different spots of the venue. Many students said they appreciated the switch to Pinstripes, as in the past, the state executive board would host a banquet inside the hotel with a dance following.

Inside the Pinstripes venue, a dance was also being held on the indoor patio. Students gathered to enjoy music, socialize, and celebrate the night together. Later in the evening, the “dance with a state officer” took place, which is a tradition where members can win a dance with one of the state officers through the raffle. Buses headed out between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. to bring students back to the hotel and end Friday night.

At the closing session, the state officers conducted the annual torch ceremony, where they spoke about the ideals the organization of BPA stands for.

After the torch ceremony, the top three winners from each category were called up to the stage, winning an award and qualifying to compete at the national level in Nashville, Tennessee. Five senior West Chicago members placed for nationals, including Marszalek, Nguyen, Ryan Slattery, Daniel Szacilowski, and Dirk Ulbrich.

“The most memorable moment for me was going up on stage in front of over 1,000 people and hearing our school’s name called: ‘West Chicago — first place,’” Ulbrich said. “It’s a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life because we put so much time, work, and dedication into that project. When you hear your name called, you’re nervous, but at the same time you’re thinking, ‘Yes — we did it.’ All the effort we put in paid off.”

Marszalek competed in the Fundamental Accounting Test and qualified for nationals.

“I was obviously very excited to hear that I qualified for nationals,” Marszalek said. “But as soon as I came down off that stage, I immediately started thinking about how I could practice to perform even better at nationals.”

Ulbrich encourages younger BPA members to stay committed to their projects.

“You don’t have to know everything about your topic right away, but you do have to put in the time, effort, and research,” Ulbrich said. “If you want to succeed, you have to practice, use the resources around you, and outwork the competition.”

To end this year’s state leadership conference, the new state officers were elected and the current officers officially ruled the meeting adjourned.