D’Leeth Gayot-Ramirez has big plans for BPA.

Business Professionals of America is a club where greatness is achieved by learning to grow and by always trying your best, no matter what. Although it seems like it’s all about business, BPA can help members in all future endeavors, regardless of if it is business-related or not: D’Leeth makes sure of this.

Last year was a great year for the BPA chapter, with 26 of the members making it to the state competition in downtown Grand Rapids at the Amway Grand Hotel. Two members even made it to the national competition held in Orlando, Florida. Naturally, the BPA students bonded to a point where D’Leeth considers the members to be like a family. “We all get to grow together as a club, but also as individuals,” D’Leeth said. “We get to connect with each other, and that’s what makes us a family.”

Everyone in BPA supports each other, and they always have each other’s backs no matter what. The positive nature of the club is one of the many reasons that D’Leeth wanted to become a leader in BPA. D’Leeth now wants to run for a state officer position.

But she hasn’t always wanted to be a leader. D’Leeth’s passion for the BPA chapter only started to grow at the end of her sophomore year. “At first, no one wanted to step up, because our former president was going to graduate,” she said. “So, I decided to be the one to take initiative.”

The club gives students the opportunity to make important contacts in the local business community. “In BPA, you’re able to meet professionals in certain industries,” D’Leeth said. “You might meet your future employer.”

BPA helps to build skills, such as public speaking, presentation skills, and even test taking. D’Leeth notes that students have fun competing and creating connections with people they might have never met.

Improvements are almost always necessary, whether it’s for students or for clubs. BPA has strict deadlines, so there should be close to no room for procrastination. D’Leeth has plans to work on enforcing this. “Something I would like to improve is making sure that there are stricter deadlines and less procrastination,” D’Leeth said. “It puts a lot of pressure on [Mr. Bushen] and our chapter officers to make sure people know what their responsibilities are.”

D’Leeth’s officer team is very fond of her. Emily Bedolla and Omar Resendiz are BPA officers. They assist D’Leeth with the club fair and getting stuff together for each meeting. ”All the officers try our best for BPA,” Resendiz said.“

Officers take their commitment to the club seriously. “When you take a closer look at it, you can see all of D’Leeth’s and the other officers’ commitment to improving our BPA chapter and working hard together,” Bedolla said.

Competing for BPA will help everyone involved to grow, but the competitions and the connections that come from that will help members for life.