They're all business

PNT staff writer

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Shania Ramirez said she joined the Business Professionals of America at the beginning of the school year because she wanted to gain professional skills the club teaches, which includes how to run a meeting and how to write a professional letter.

Now Ramirez is one of the nine Dora High School students who are participating in the BPA State Leadership Conference in Albuquerque starting Feb. 17.

Gema Villanueva, Charlyn Simpson, Isaac Carrasco, Lindsey Fletcher, Lindsey Lee, Rony Ramirez, Dianna Herrera and Joel Villanueva join Ramirez competing at the state contest.link LILLIAN BOWE: Portales News-Tribune

Members of the Dora Business Professionals of America Chapter cut out paper hearts Tuesday for their kiss-o-gram fundraiser . The kiss-o-grams will have candy kisses attached to the hearts with a personal message on the hearts as well.

Students first had to compete in the Region 2 New Mexico BPA Conference on Jan. 3 at Eastern New Mexico University.

They competed against 50 students from Fort Sumner, House and Melrose.

Some of the contests they will be competing in at state are parliamentary procedure, where the students have to run a meeting, fundamental word processing, fundamental desktop publishing, and medical office procedures.

In addition to competing at the contest they will be running for state office.

“I thought it would be a good way to meet more people and make friends with people all over the state,” Carrasco said.

Colleen Tollett has been the advisor for Dora High School’s BPA chapter for 22 years,

“I never get bored being a BPA advisor,” Tollett said.

Tollett hopes that her students this year will be able to qualify to go to BPA’s National Leadership Conference in Indianapolis in April.

Tollett’s students have not only been studying for their contest since August, they have also been fundraising for their expenses for Albuquerque.

They have picked up trash from the side of roads, sold raffle tickets and more recently been selling kiss-o-grams to students at Dora.

For the students to qualify for nationals, they must place in the top five at state.