Dodge Center, MN – The 2026 Business Professionals of America (BPA) State Leadership Conference was
held March 5-6 and saw record-breaking membership with over 2,500 members from 80 chapters across the
state competing. Triton BPA sent 26 students to State and walked away with 7 National Trip winners, 4
National Ambassador Torch Award winners, a newly elected State Vice President, two State Runner-Ups, a 3rd
Place finisher, 15 Top 10 Finalists, and the Chapter Social Media and Marketing awards. Additionally, Triton
received notice that three of their virtual event competitors secured trips to Nationals after placing Top 10 in
the Nation.
“I’m just so gosh dang proud of how our students shine in and out of competition,” said Advisor Rebecca
Goossens. “They continue to represent Triton with pride and prestige.”
Taking top honors was the Virtual Branding Team of Frankie Gann and Logan Skjeveland and Vika Kundel in
Cybersecurity, who are all in the National Top 10 and will find out their exact place at the National Conference
this May. Avery Reiser in C# Programming and Logan Skjeveland in Digital Communications & Design were
crowned State Runner-Ups, and Vika Kundel secured a 3rd place finish in Advanced Spreadsheet as well as 5th
place in Intermediate Word. EJ Okeefe and Abigail Wirkus nabbed 4th and 5th place in Health Administration
Procedures, and Triton also featured another 15 Top 10 Finalists including:
• Administrative Support Team: Abrielle Emanuel, Lincoln Johnson, EJ Okeefe
• Advanced Interview: Ollie Akkerman
• Broadcast News Team: Frankie Gann, Diego Ibarra-Castillo, Logan Skjeveland
• Presentation: Logan Skjeveland
• Visual Design Team: RoseLyn Liudahl and Jade Scovill
• Visual Design Team: Brinley Dickie and Rory Ginder
• Website Design Team: Ollie Akkerman and Dora Chable
The Triton Chapter received additional recognition as Genevieve Starkson was elected as the 2026-2027 State
Vice President, and Ollie Akkerman, Vika Kndel, Logan Skjeveland, and Abigail Wirkus earned their National
Ambassador Torch Awards, which recognize students who demonstrate outstanding leadership, service,
professionalism, and personal growth.
“Our students competed boldly, led with confidence, and stepped into new opportunities, and I am so, so proud
of them, no matter the results,” said Goossens.
BPA’s competitive events program allows students to compete in nearly 70 events focused in the areas of
business administration, finance & accounting, information technology, video production, human resources,
computer programming, graphic design, marketing & entrepreneurship, and health services. The competitions
are designed to prepare students to succeed and assess real-world business skills and problem-solving abilities.
After qualifying earlier this year, regional winners put their talents to the test during the State Leadership
Conference.
This May, Akkerman, Gann, Kundel, Okeefe, Reiser, Skjeveland, Starkson, and Wirkus will travel to
Nashville, TN to compete with thousands of top students from across the United States, Puerto Rico, and
internationally at the 60th Annual National Leadership Conference – the pinnacle of BPA competition.
