Students attend leadership conference

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Neighbors | Submitted.Shown, from left, are chapter advisor and MCCTC instructor Helen Slack, Joshua Eddy and Devin Betsa.

Two Information Technology students from the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center attended the Business Professionals of America 2013 National Leadership Conference and returned with one having captured second place in the nation and the other earning a Microsoft certification.

MCCTC chapter members, Devin Betsa and Joshua Eddy of Austintown joined more than 5,000 other conference delegates from across the nation to participate in national level business skills competitions, workshops and general sessions. Betsa placed second in the national event for Entrepreneurship. He developed an operating plan and organizational structure to initiate a small business. His theme was a “new food business with old family recipes.” He plans to expand it locally and then nationwide. Eddy was certified as a Microsoft Office Specialist in MS-Excel and MS-PowerPoint.

“The conference was a culmination of a school years’ worth of IT and business education and training,” said chapter advisor and Information Technology Support and Services Instructor, Helen Slack.

Both students plan to further their education in the IT and business field at local universities.

Business Professionals of America is a national organization for high school, college and middle school students preparing for careers in business and information technology.

The organization’s activities and programs complement classroom instruction by giving students practical experience through application of the skills.

For more information, contact Jacqueline Kuffel, career development supervisor, at 330-729-4120.