When students from Hopkinton High School participate in the national conference for the Business Professionals of America, junior Kaesha Rajgor will serve as Massachusetts Secondary State president and junior Ishita Urs will represent the state as secondary treasurer.

Both elected officers, along with several peers, qualified for the BPA National Leadership Conference by placing in the top three in events and the top five in test categories at the state competition in March.

The conference is being held in Orlando, Florida, from May 8-11.

“Hopkinton students certainly have passion for and dedication to personal and professional development, which fits organically into our organization,” said BPA state director Makenzi Tiberii. “It appears Hopkinton BPA also receives a lot of support from the town, so they likely understand the value of our organization.”

She added that the students’ success also can be attributed to advisor Doug Scott, who has been involved with BPA for more than 20 years and “dedicates uncountable hours to these students and ensures they are prepared for the conferences.”

Kaesha Rajgor

Rajgor qualified in the personal financial management and economic research individual categories, placing first and second, respectively.

She placed second in financial analyst team with Neya Rajasingh and Saanvi Mittal.

Urs, with Riya Manthena, placed first for user experience design team.

To achieve their leadership roles, Rajgor and Urs had to apply, give a speech in front of all the membership, participate in a campaign rally and undergo a final panel interview conducted by former state officers, advisors and alumni.

Rajgor explained that all candidates run for general office, and the final position assignments are determined based on votes and the interview outcomes.

She said the one-year role involves helming the fall leadership conference and state leadership conferences, representing Massachusetts at the national event and hosting workshops

Rajgor said officers spearhead their own team initiatives through the Program of Work, “which allows us to create and implement new resources, opportunities and experiences for BPA members across the state.”

Urs will serve on the Finance Committee and as a voting delegate as well.

Urs joined BPA in her sophomore year after hearing about it from friends.

In addition to liking how the organization blended business with a variety of other fields, she hoped to overcome the anxiety that plagued her during presentations, achieve a boost to her self-esteem and improve her public speaking skills.

Ishita Urs

Urs said her project this year taught her about creating a user interface and marketing a business. Last year, she learned several computer programming languages that she thinks will be helpful if she pursues a career in computer science.

“These projects allowed me to develop technical knowledge and solidified my interest and passion for the subject,” Urs said.

Going into nationals, her user experience design team created a website, mobile app and social media page mockups for an imaginary cafe, the Brew Barn.

“It is a great opportunity to experiment with design and functionality, utilize marketing strategies, develop a unique color palette and logo to shape brand identity and, overall, build a seamless customer experience,” Urs noted.

Rajgor joined BPA during her freshman year with similar goals: to improve public speaking and collaboration skills and to dive deeper into subjects like economics and finance.

She said the BPA experience has taught her how to analyze economic trends, make informed business recommendations for startups, manage personal finances and more.

As a state officer, Rajgor said, she has sharpened her leadership and teamwork skills. It also has given her the opportunity to “give back” through service projects with organizations like Special Olympics and Veterans Inc.

“Most importantly, BPA has connected me with a network of passionate, driven individuals and mentors who inspire me to keep learning and growing and have helped me improve as a person,” Rajgor noted.

At the upcoming national event, she explained, students have been tasked with analyzing the effect of digital streaming services on traditional media in the economic research category.

In the financial analyst team event, the students are presented with a scenario involving someone interested in becoming a business owner, and they are tasked with developing recommendations based on their specific needs and goals.

Rajgor said the team is working on a case involving a woman who wants to expand her custom gold jewelry business from a hobby into a full-fledged brand. The team must prepare financial forecasts and provide the person with strategic recommendations on how to proceed.

Rajgor highly recommends that a student who is hesitant to join BPA give it a try.

“I would tell them it is more than just an extracurricular, but a transformative experience,” she said.

She added BPA offers something meaningful for everyone, including building real-world skills and leadership abilities, giving back to the community through service and connecting with “inspiring peers and mentors.”

Urs agreed, saying, “BPA bolsters your confidence and really allows you to shape your individuality, pushing you past your limits and spurring success. Being part of this amazing community gives you skills that are beyond important for joining the workforce in the future.”

Several other HHS students qualified for the national competition. They are: Abhishek Sakthi Kannan, first place, economic research; Akarsh Doki, second, entrepreneurship, and third, computer programming concepts; Ambika Nambiar, first, administrative support research project; Armaan Kamra, second, administrative support research project; Armaan Kamra and Ambika Nambiar, first, presentation team; Aryaa Dixit, third, health research presentation; and Aryaa Dixit and Poorvi Tikoo, second, podcast production team.

Also: Cooper Dold, third, banking and finance; fifth, fundamental accounting; Cooper Dold and Arjun Paluri, first, financial analyst team; Poorvi Tikoo, second, digital media production; Ries Amigud, first, entrepreneurship; Riya Manthena, third, digital marketing concepts; Tejas Kulkarni, first, health research presentation; Vardhan Madhavarapu, Vainavi Malisetty, Dhruv Shah and Rishit Shekhar, second, economic research team; and Veer Bhatia, Pranamya Keshkamat and Ashwath Sridhar, first, small business management team.