Five Canyon Ridge High School students qualified for the Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference after competing at the state competition held March 2-4, 2026. This year, 2026, the National Leadership Conference will be held in Nashville, Tennessee.
The BPA National Leadership Conference brings together students from across the country to compete in business, technology, and leadership events.
Seniors Cannon Whitney, Madison Dalrymple, Alexis Bischoff, and juniors Tate Hunter and Delilah Toews each qualified for nationals for the first time. They were among fifteen Canyon Ridge students who attended the state event.
One of the two BPA advisors at Canyon Ridge High School, Mrs. Jeri Henley, said qualifying for nationals is a notable achievement for the students involved.
“Qualifying for the BPA National Leadership Conference is a significant accomplishment that reflects not only their hard work, but also their ability to apply real-world business skills at a high level.”
Cannon simply stated, “I hope I win nationals,” showing his main goal. Cannon placed first in Prepared Speech.
Madison said, “I’m excited for the experience and the opportunity to compete at nationals.” At the state conference, Madison placed first in Health Administration Procedures.
Alexis said BPA has been a positive part of her high school experience and that qualifying for nationals is something she is looking forward to. “State has always been a really exciting experience for me,” Alexis said. “Being with my friends, having new experiences, and getting to learn new things has always been incredible. I was thrilled when I qualified for nationals. I can’t wait for the new experiences awaiting me at nationals and know no matter what, BPA has always been so worth it.”
Tate said he’s excited to take an industry certification, specifically in device configuration and management. This is a mandatory prerequisite for his Device Configuration and Troubleshooting event, which he placed fourth in.
Delilah said she has mixed feelings about heading to nationals. “I’m super nervous but excited for the opportunity,” Delilah is competing in two events: Meeting and Event Planning and Banking and Finance. She placed fourth and fifth in these events.
Jacinda Hood, Creighton Sherwood, and Tate Hunter all placed in the top ten in their events. Jacinda placed in the Meeting and Event Planning Concepts event. Creighton was placed in Administrative Support Concepts. Tate, on top of his fourth-place finish, also placed in the top ten in the event of Computer Network Technology.
