Submitted photo Pictured is the Marshall Business Professionals of America chapter’s Economic Research Team of Adrienne Simpson, Darian Ross and Keziah Knudson.

MARSHALL — Marshall High School senior Ignacio Larios said when he first entered high school he was very indecisive of whether he wanted to join Business Professionals of America or not. His friends and family encouraged him, so he gave it a try.

“I will be forever thankful with these people, because BPA was the best thing that happened to me in high school,” he said. “It is an activity where you meet individuals that have goals for themselves and that know what they want for their future. This activity is full of leaders who are the future of our country.”

Larios is among the more than 50 members of the Marshall BPA chapter who qualified for state competition after regionals at Jan. 25 at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Granite Falls campus. The State Leadership Conference is March 7-9.

Marshall BPA adviser Brenda Kellen said she was proud of how the Marshall students did at regional competition.

“It is scary to get out of your comfort zone and try something new, especially if that means going in front of adult judges,” Kellen said. “Many events at regions had high quality competition. This led to some of our teams and individuals who did a fantastic job preparing, not being able to move onto the next level.”

MHS senior Ashtyn Eben competed in Graphic Design Promotion, Digital Publishing and Digital Communication and Design Concepts this year at regionals, taking first in each. She said Graphic Design Promotion is a pre-submit event where she developed a theme, logo and poster to present to the judges.

“Digital Publishing is similar, except you have limited time and you don’t have to present afterward,” she said. “Digital Communication and Design Concepts is an Open, so it was just a test I took aside from my main two competitions.”

In his four years with BPA, Larios said one category he has stuck with is Personal Financial Management. Throughout the years he has tried different categories.

“This year my categories were Personal Finance Management, and it is my first year doing Medical Office Procedures,” he said. “Medical Office Procedures was challenging because it was my first year trying it. I had to work extra hard because there are people out there who have been doing this competition since their first year.” He placed first in Medical Office Procedures and fourth in Personal Financial Management.

Kellen said it’s always great to see the smiles when the Marshall BPA members receive an award at any level.

“They see that their classes at school and the time and effort they put into preparing outside of the classroom can really pay off,” she said. “Most contests in BPA correlate to classes at the high school any many of those contests require a great deal of prep time outside of the classroom if they are going to win.”

Regional competition had to be moved a week because of the weather. Jan. 25 was also Marshall’s Speech Spectacular, and some BPA members were also competing in speech.

“It was a challenge to work around Speech Spectacular, but Rick Purrington (MHS speech coach) worked with the region to make sure that all students in southwest Minnesota that were competing in both events would not have to choose,” Kellen said. “BPA moved some contests up earlier that day, and Rick worked with those kids that were arriving back to Marshall for speech a little later than expected.”

In BPA, Eben enjoys the independence the students have. They don’t have scheduled practices with coaches like other activities do, she said.

“Instead, we are responsible for getting our own work down and finding our own time to practice,” she said. “It makes being involved in multiple activities easier as well, since the only schedule you have to work around is your own (or your team’s if you’re in a team event).”

While BPA is specifically “Business” Professionals of America, Eben said it’s taught her more than just business.

“The biggest takeaways for me are the presentation skills and professionalism,” she said. “Either of these two skills can be applied outside of the business world as well.”

Larios said the awards ceremony at regions is a very exciting time, but he had to leave the ceremony early as it conflicted with the Marshall Speech Spectacular.

“While I was competing in speech, a friend of mine that was at the ceremony started texting us the results,” he said. “I was both shocked and excited when I noticed that I placed first in Medical Office Procedures. I don’t know what to expect in this competition at state for I have never competed in it before. But I have been preparing a lot and it is a challenge that I am willing to accept.”

This is Eben’s final year of BPA. She said it was a relief to see she was heading to state again.

“It’s always nerve-wracking waiting for the results to come in, but especially when you knew it could be your last competition,” she said.

Larios is also a BPA state officer, vice president of development. He said the position involves reaching out to smaller chapters and making sure they are getting the recognition they deserve.

“It consists of keeping small chapters involved so that they can experience BPA at its fullest,” he said. “Every month, usually the second Sunday of every month, we have a meeting. At this meeting we discuss things such as fundraising, keeping our members engaged and our state leadership conference.

BPA is a life-changing activity, Larios said, adding that he could go on for hours about this skills he’s learned and the memories he’s made.

“Being part of BPA expands your horizons,” he said. “I have met so many people in this organization; I have made lifelong friendships and memories with them. On the other hand, when talking from a ‘skill’ perspective, you gain skills that make you a leader and a professional.” He said in BPA he has fueled his leadership, public speaking and networking skills.

“Furthermore, Business Professionals of America has a healthy competitive spirit that makes you strive to be your best,” he said. “This activity pushes you to work hard, and the rewards it offers are priceless.”

Eben said the Marshall BPA chapter has an impressive number of seniors, but that also means it is graduating a huge portion of the chapter.

“Our hope is that next year the numbers fill back up, despite so many of us saying goodbye,” she said. “BPA has become an important part of my high school experience, and I wouldn’t want anybody to miss out.”