WQIO Ohio's Super Station
Eight Knox County Career Center students are advancing to the Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, after strong performances at the state competition held Feb. 23 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The national event will take place May 6–10.
Students from CollegeU‑Business, Computer Network Technology, Digital Media & Software Development, and Pre‑Professional Mentorship programs competed at the state level. During the BPA State Leadership Conference Awards Ceremony on Feb. 24, 20 KCCC students were recognized as Top 10 finishers statewide, with eight earning national qualifications.
The following students qualified for the BPA National Leadership Conference based on Top 8 finishes in their individual events:
- Sierra Shields (CollegeU‑Business), first place in Business Law and Ethics
- Elizabeth Swartzentruber (CollegeU‑Business), second place in Advanced Spreadsheet Applications
- Kale Oswalt (CollegeU‑Business), second place in Extemporaneous Speech
- Logan Woolverton (Computer Network Technology), second place in Server Administration Using Microsoft
- Peyton Blakesley (CollegeU‑Business), fourth place in Integrated Office Applications
- Ethan Kapper (Computer Network Technology), fifth place in Server Administration Using Microsoft
- Blake Spittle (Computer Network Technology), fifth place in Computer Security
- Zachary Taylor (CollegeU‑Business), sixth place in Banking and Finance
Twelve more students placed in the Top 10 at the state level but did not advance to nationals. These include:
- Gabrielle Beck, Brooklyn Cook, Jocelyn Scarbury (CollegeU‑Business), fourth place, Small Business Management Team
- Maggie Bond, Layla Joyner, Nevaeh Ward, Eve Wells (Pre‑Professional Mentorship), sixth place, Global Marketing Team
- Isaac Danzuso, Gavin DeChant, Gage Kearns, Kyle Maslowski (Computer Network Technology), eighth place, Network Design Team
- Myla Miller (Digital Media & Software Development), tenth place, Fundamental Desktop Publishing
KCCC Superintendent Kathy Greenich noted that students competed despite a Level 2 Snow Emergency that closed the school, crediting parents for transporting students to Columbus and BPA officials for enabling remote participation when needed.
BPA is a national career‑technical student organization offering competitive events in fields such as finance, business administration, management information systems, digital communications, marketing, and health administration. The organization focuses on leadership development, professionalism, community service, and career readiness.
