Pictured from left are Brooke Bolinger, Warsaw Area Career Center Chapter of Business Professionals of America chapter vice president; Indiana BPA Advisor of the Year Steve Waldeck; Molly Kissling, WACC BPA chapter president; and Ben Barkey, director of Warsaw Area Career Center. Photo provided.

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — Thirty-one members of the Warsaw Area Career Center Chapter of Business Professionals of America attended the State Leadership Conference in Indianapolis March 10-12. In addition to numerous chapter awards, chapter adviser Steve Waldeck was named the 2023-2024 Indiana Business Professionals of America Advisor of the Year.

Molly Kissling, Warsaw Area Career Center chapter president, nominated Waldeck for the award, saying that “Waldeck has always pushed me to grow as a person through BPA by pushing me to try new things like Torch Awards, a new project, or to run for a leadership position. He has been in my corner as well as encouraging me and helping me out along the way. He also cares about the members way beyond BPA and more as people. He is always willing to be a listening ear, answer any questions, or hear yet another crazy idea.” Chapter member John Hampton wrote that “Waldeck is very dedicated to his students and makes learning fun. He gives of his time so that we can have the opportunity to utilize our talents to challenge ourselves through BPA.”

In his letter supporting the nomination of Waldeck for the award, Warsaw Area Career Center director Ben Barkey noted that “Steve’s role as an advisor for Business Professionals of America stands out as a testament to his commitment to student success. His ability to create a supportive, collaborative and innovative learning environment has not only enriched the lives of his students but has also significantly elevated the Warsaw Area Career Center’s BPA chapter. Steve’s dedication to his students and his profession is truly exemplary.”

At the general session on Monday evening, the Warsaw Area Career Center chapter earned the following awards based on activities members have completed throughout the school year:

• Community Service Award
• Safety Awareness Award
• Special Olympics Award
• Environmental Action Award
• Marketing & Communications Award
• Quality Chapter Distinction Award
• Chapter Activities Award of Excellence
• Year of Service Award

Additionally, the following chapter members received state-level awards:

• Torch Awards: Brooke Bolinger and Molly Kissling
• Top 10 Torch Awards: Molly Kissling
• Member Recruitment Awards: Brooke Bolinger, Luke Ford, Molly Kissling, Gabe Klein and Rick Orr
• Recruiter of the Year: Brooke Bolinger
• BPA Chapter All-Star: Brooke Bolinger

At Tuesday’s closing session, members were recognized for their achievements at the competitive events. Qualifying for the National Leadership Conference in Chicago from May 10-14 are:

• Brooke Bolinger: Ethics & Professionalism (second place)
• Emily Elliott: Fundamentals of Web Design (fourth place)
• Luke Ford: Advanced Accounting (fourth place)
• Molly Kissling: Payroll Accounting (fourth place)
• Kristina Kolembe: Interview Skills (second place)
• Michael Manes: C++ Programming (fifth place) and Device Configuration &
• Troubleshooting (third place)
• Clark Meridew: Python Programming (fifth place)
• Isaac Price: Python Programming (second place) and C++ Programming (first place)

Additional awards were earned by:

• Brooke Bolinger: Extemporaneous Speech (fifth place)
• Lilia Gustafson: Health Administration Procedures (seventh place), Digital Marketing Concepts (first place) and Medical Terminology Concepts (second place)
• Kristina Kolembe: Meeting & Event Planning Concepts (10th place)
• Mattias Niebbia: Java Programming (ninth place)
• Rich Orr: Extemporaneous Speech (sixth place)
• Ian Parrott: Prepared Speech (sixth place) and Computer Programming Concepts (seventh place)
• Alison Slone: Graphic Design Promotion (sixth place)
• Thomas Solloway: C++ Programming (10th place)
• Jackson Winey: Meeting & Event Planning Concepts (third place)

Business Professionals of America is the nation’s leading career and technical student organization for students pursuing careers in business management, information technology, finance, accounting, office administration and other business-related career fields. With 45,000 members in more than 1,800 chapters across 25 states and Puerto Rico, as well as an international presence in China, Haiti and Peru, Business Professionals of America is an organization that supports business and information technology educators by offering co-curricular exercises based on national standards.

Pictured are members and advisers of the Warsaw Area Career Center Business Professionals of America chapter at the State Leadership Conference. Photo provided.