Students from Highland Community College Technical Center (HCCTC) have qualified to attend the Business Professionals of America (BPA) National Leadership Conference in Nashville after strong performances at the BPA State Leadership Conference held Feb. 18–21, 2026, in Wichita. 

Students representing HCCTC included Emmalee Burnham (Effingham), Kaydeece Fultz (Effingham), Kayelee Manning (Atchison), Adeline McManus (Effingham), Elaina Minard (Horton), Emma Ramirez (Atchison) and Aiden Rathert (Troy), along with advisor and business instructor Carrie Miller.  

At the state conference, students tested their knowledge and skills across a variety of business, technology and health-related competitive events. HCCTC student achievements included: 

  • Administrative Support Team 1st  (Burnham, Fultz, Manning & Minard )
  • Payroll Accounting 1st (Fultz)
  • Fundamental Word Processing 2nd (Minard)
  • Intermediate Word Processing 1st (Fultz)
  • Fundamental Desktop Publishing 2nd (Manning) 
  • Health Insurance and Medical Billing 1st (McManus)
  • Health Administration Procedures 1st (McManus)
  • Medical Coding 1st place (McManus)
  • Interview Skills 2nd (Burnham) 3rd (Minard)
  • Top Ten - Open Events
    • Administrative Support Concepts (Fultz)
    • Management, Marketing and Human Resources (Rameriz)
    • Health Administration Concepts (McManus)

 

Qualifying students will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to attend BPA’s 60th Anniversary National Leadership Conference, “Amplify Your Impact” May 6-10, 2026. They will join an estimated six thousand delegates from across the nation to participate in national level business and technology skills competitions. Business Professionals of America is an innovator in Career and Technical Education, providing members with opportunities for growth through education, competition, community service and personal development. With 60,000 members in the United States, Canada, China, Haiti, Puerto Rico, South Korea and United Kingdom. BPA is a co-curricular organization that supports business and information technology educators by offering co-curricular exercises based on national standards.  

Highland Community College Technical Center is proud of its students’ accomplishments and their continued success at the state and national levels. 

About Business Professionals of America (BPA)

Founded in 1966, Business Professionals of America (BPA) is the premier Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for middle school, high school and college students preparing for careers in business, finance, information technology and related fields. BPA provides members with opportunities for growth through competition, leadership, personal development and community service. The organization has more than 62,000 members in nearly 1,500 chapters across the United States and in Canada, China, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Learn more at bpa.org.