Have you ever considered a job in the business field? Have you ever wanted to gain knowledge about different careers from people with those jobs? Have you ever wanted to strategize about business plans and work with others? These, among many other things, are what Mercy’s Business Professionals of America (BPA) do all year long. The club is gaining popularity at Mercy and is teaching many Mercy girls about what it really means to have a job in the business world.

This year, the team of about 30 girls is hoping to find success with their ultimate goal being to do well at the district competition, and advance as many girls as they can to states.

“BPA is a business-oriented club that allows girls to see the business aspects of multiple fields,” said senior BPA officer Asha Telang. “You can see the business side of the medical field, legal offices, [and] financial offices. There’s so many different paths you can take.”

The main goal of BPA is to help Mercy students understand and get a glimpse into the real world of business. During the club’s meetings, the team discusses business situations and how to deal with them. They also use the time to prepare for the district competition.

A BPA competition highlights many aspects of business jobs. There are events within the competition ranging from speeches, to conferences, to assigning roles and convincing someone to give money to a made up company. Participation in the club allows students to explore career options, while also networking with adults in a variety of fields, and the students are taught to utilize those networks because they could be very useful in the future.

On October 9, students on BPA went to a fall leadership conference with their advisor, Mrs. Hallie Smith. Telang, who went on the trip last year, shared how the conference allows students to walk through business scenarios and learn how to be a leader in those situations. The students attend conferences about leadership in business, and are eventually assigned positions in a business and the leaders have to work together to solve a corporate issue.

The club recently had its first meeting and members are excited about where the team could go this year. The main focus is the district competition and the leaders are already planning for it.

“Our next meeting will be on planning for regionals and we will have upcoming meetings about how students can earn points and go to the state conference.” said Telang. “We always have meetings to help girls study for their competitions as well.”

The club is still in the early stages of the year and are looking for as many girls to join as possible, so if you interested in joining, email Telang at [email protected].