Students from College of Western Idaho (CWI) demonstrated exceptional professionalism and technical expertise at the Idaho Business Professionals of America (BPA) State Leadership Conference in Boise on March 12 – 14. Competing against peers from two-year colleges and four-year universities across the state, CWI students earned top finishes in multiple events and showcased the strength of the college’s Career and Technical Education programs.
Four CWI BPA students participated in this year’s conference, and each earned top-five placements across several competitions. Their performance qualified them to represent CWI at the BPA National Leadership Conference in Nashville later this year.
Students competed in events designed to reflect real-world business and IT challenges, including programming, networking, cybersecurity, database management, and digital communications.
Competition Results
C# Programming
- Gold — Matthias Barnes
Computer Network Technology
- Gold — Andrew Toombs
- Silver — Adriana Huarancca
Computer Programming Concepts (Open)
- Gold — Matthias Barnes
Computer Security
- Gold — Samuel McKinley
- Silver — Adriana Huarancca
Digital Communications and Design (Open)
- Gold — Matthias Barnes
Information Technology Concepts (Open)
- Gold — Matthias Barnes
Intermediate Word Processing
- Gold — Andrew Toombs
Linux Operating System Fundamentals
- Gold — Samuel McKinley
Network Administration Using Cisco
- Gold — Samuel McKinley
Python Programming
- Gold — Matthias Barnes
SQL Database Fundamentals
- Gold — Matthias Barnes
- Silver — Adriana Huarancca
Device Configuration and Troubleshooting
- Silver — Andrew Toombs
With these strong performances, all four students are eligible to compete at the BPA National Leadership Conference in Nashville on May 6 – 10, where they will represent CWI alongside top student talent from across the country.
Business Professionals of America is a national Career Technical Student Organization that helps students build leadership, workplace readiness, and technical skills beyond the classroom. At CWI, the BPA chapter is advised by Assistant Professor of Network Administration, Seth Akers.
For more information on BPA or to get involved, contact Akers at sethakers@cwi.edu.
