By Journal Staff

ISHPEMING — Upper Peninsula business students converged on Bay College in Escanaba for the 2025 Business Professionals of America regional leadership conference on Jan. 17.

The students from across the Upper Peninsula gathered to compete in contests relating to finance, business administration, management/marketing/communications, information technology and digital technology skills.

Thirty-one Westwood High School student members, along with teachers Rachel Perala and Sabina Villar, participated in this regional competition and 27 Westwood students have qualified to compete at the state level.

These students will represent Westwood at the 2025 BPA State Leadership Conference in March in Grand Rapids, where they will compete with students from across Michigan, attend workshops designed to aid in professional development and gain valuable skills. Top students at the state conference will advance to the National Leadership Conference to be held in Orlando, Florida, in May.

Westwood’s state qualifiers and awards earned are:

ADDISON BURTON

3rd – Personal Financial Management and 5th – Health Administration Concepts – Open.

GAVIN COMERO

1st – Fundamental Accounting and 1st – Prepared Speech.

ELIISA DONEY

3rd – Fundamental Word Processing.

KAYLIN DONEY

1st – Database Applications, 3rd – Integrated Office Applications and 5th – Meeting & Event Planning Concepts – Open.

MANNY EDELSON

2nd – Fundamental Accounting, 5th – Financial Math & Analysis – Open and 6th – Business Law & Ethics.

ALISON ERDMAN

1st – Basic Office Systems & Procedures.

KAYA ETELAMAKI

1st – Legal Office Procedures and 1st – Payroll Accounting.

MAKAYLA FISHER

1st – Intermediate Word Processing and 2nd – Basic Office Systems & Procedures.

DARREN FRASER

2nd – Human Resource Management and 6th – Health Administration Procedures.

NATHAN GRAY

5th – Business Law & Ethics and 6th – Digital Marketing Concepts – Open.

ISABELLE

GROCHOWSKI

1st – Advanced Office Systems & Procedures and 3rd – Legal Office Procedures.

DAMIAN GRONDZ

2nd – Personal Financial Management.

GABRIEL GRONDZ

2nd – Advanced Office Systems & Procedures and 2nd – Integrated Office Applications.

MAGGIE HARVALA

3rd – Intermediate Word Processing.

NIKO HEINZEL

3rd – Fundamental Accounting.

ABIGAIL JOHNSON

1st – Health Administration Procedures, 3rd – Advanced Word Processing and 6th – Meeting & Event Planning Concepts – Open.

IAN KAUPPILA

2nd – Java Programming, 3rd – Python Programming, 3rd – Computer Programming Concepts – Open, 5th – Digital Marketing Concepts – Open and 5th – Information Technology Concepts – Open.

TAYLOR KERANEN

5th – Legal Office Procedures.

CLARA KRUGER

2nd – Health Administration Concepts – Open, 4th – Health Administration Procedures and 5th – Personal Financial Management.

HAYDEN LAMERE

2nd – Fundamental Word Processing and 5th – Payroll Accounting.

HANNAH NIEMI

1st – Integrated Office Applications and 3rd – Advanced Office Systems & Procedures.

MAKENNA OLSON

1st – Fundamental Word Processing.

MATTHEW OSTOLA

2nd – Intermediate Word Processing and 3rd – Human Resource Management.

LUCY OSTOLA

2nd – Advanced Interview Skills, 2nd – Legal Office Procedures and 5th – Administrative Support Concepts – Open.

SAMANTHA RUBY

4th – Fundamental Spreadsheet Application and 4th – Human Resource Management.

MORGAN SCHNEIDER

2nd – Advanced Word Processing and 4th – Payroll Accounting.

MICHAELA WATSON

3rd – Basic Office Systems & Procedures.