BPA students excel at nationals

• BPA

Kari Lucin/Daily Globe Worthington High School students Alicia Khatt, a freshman, and Larry Leovan, a sophomore, both earned honors last week at the BPA Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

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WORTHINGTON — Two Worthington High School students placed in the top 10 at the national Business Professionals of America competition last week in Washington D.C.

“Just being in the city at nationals was a good feeling,” said Larry Leovan, 16, of Worthington, who placed 10th in digital media production.

Alicia Khatt, 15, also of Worthington, earned third place in graphic design promotion at the national level.

She created a flyer to promote next year’s BPA Leadership Conference, with the theme “Advance Skyward.”

“It’s my life motto in reaching my goals and reaching my dreams,” Khatt explained.

She has never taken a graphics course, but her brother, Ben Khatt, competed in the graphic design promotion category as a WHS student and is currently studying graphic design at college.

“I decided it would be a fun thing to try,” Khatt said. “Plus, I love creating things on Adobe Photoshop — it’s just a fun thing to do.”

Leovan’s project, a video endorsing next year’s BPA Leadership Conference in Chicago, was made with a “Future of Business” theme, and focused on Chicago’s history as a business mecca as well as its future success.

He used Adobe After Effects CS5 to create three-dimensional motion effects, and he also created his own soundtrack for the video.

Students were judged not only on their projects but on presentations about the projects, with a two-sheet rubric.

They had to explain how their theme worked and show how their projects were graphically organized and did not use any copyrighted material.

Leovan had 10 minutes for set up and take down, seven for his presentation and five minutes to answer judges’ questions.

Khatt had seven minutes for her presentation and three to answer the judge’s questions, with 10 minutes to set up and take down.

Her proposed logo also had to be exactly 4 inches by 4 inches.

It was Khatt’s first year in BPA, and it was Leovan’s second. Along with the rest of the BPA club in Worthington, they met every Monday to touch base with coach Penny Troe.

Khatt started working on her presentation in November.

Leovan began on his last summer, as soon as he learned the next national conference would be in Chicago.

Both students praised BPA for the way it helps students hone communication skills, confidence, sportsmanship and values.

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