Members of the Wylie East chapter of Business Professionals of America set school records Jan. 23 by excelling at the Regional Leadership Conference bringing home 30 total medals.

“Area 1 Region 3 is one of the most competitive regions in the State with BPA powerhouses Plano West Senior, Frisco Heritage, and CTE Center – Frisco dominating most of the competitions,” BPA Sponsor Mr. James Hood said.

After hours of practice, preparation and paperwork, the following students came out at the top of their competition:

Administrative Support Team #1 consisting of Sarah Straka, Tessa Thompson, Chahendra Dues, and Gissella Martinez earned 6th place and will serve as State Alternates.

“It was good, definitely fun,” senior Sarah Straka said. “I’m progressing and getting better in my work but I’m still nervous.”

Administrative Support Team #2 consisting of Cody Hogan, Zachary Kvale, Gabriel Moreno, and Blake Taber earned third place and will serve as first State Alternates.

“The competition as a whole was a little unprofessional, the school hosting should’ve make sure everything was in working order beforehand; the printers were failing and there was a two hour delay for the award ceremony,” freshman Blake Taber said. “I personally was a little nervous but I was well prepared.”

Senior Tyler Svoboda earned second place in Advanced Interview Skills and will automatically progress to the State competition.

“I feel confident about the State competition,” Svoboda said. “With the previous experience I’ve had from before, I feel well prepared for what’s in front of me.”

Cody Hogan earned first place in Advanced Office Systems and Procedures and will automatically progress to the State competition.

“I’m excited to go to State,” freshman Cody Hogan said. “I feel like we’ve practiced enough and it’s all just up to us from here.”

Gissella Martinez earned second place in Advanced Office Systems & Procedures and will automatically progress to the State competition.

The Computer Animation Team consisting of Ethan Umanos, Parker Sims, and Charles Tucker earned second place and will automatically progress to the State competition.

Charles Tucker earned fourth place in Computer Modeling and will serve as a State Alternate.
Brandon Spiegel earned second place in Entrepreneurship and will automatically progress to the State competition.

Financial Analyst Team #1 consisting of Omar Frias, Montana Miller, and Randy Points earned second place and will automatically progress to the State competition.

“It was exciting, I was nervous,” senior Omar Frias said. “The first event I was confident in but the second event I got pretty nervous.”

Sarah Straka earned second place in Fundamental Spreadsheet Applications and will automatically progress to the State competition.

Tessa Thompson earned sixth place in Human Resources Management and will serve as a State Alternate.

Trevor Jackson earned fourth place in Interview Skills and will serve as a State Alternate.
Michael (Dane) Christiana earned second place in Network Administration Using Microsoft and has automatically qualified for the State competition.

Stefany Reyes earned fifth place in Payroll Accounting and will serve as first State Alternate.

Omar Frias earned fourth place in Payroll Accounting and will automatically progress to the State competition.

“Preparation is key,” Frias said. “I prepared by practicing months ahead of time and doing practice tests and memorizing formulas.”

The Video Production Team consisting of David Atherton, Trevor Jackson and Lathan (Cat) Parker earned fifth place and will serve as State Alternates.

BPA students immediately start preparing for the State competition March 3-6 in Corpus Christie.

The team is coached by Mr. James Hood.