By Darren (Year 9)
Earlier this year, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Orlando, Florida, to participate in the Business Professionals of America (BPA) National Leadership Conference (NLC) - an experience that challenged, inspired and rewarded me in unforgettable ways. From the Shanghai Regional Round to the Chengdu National Round, and finally, just a week ago, the Orlando Global Round, our BPA journey over the past six months has been unlike anything we’ve ever experienced.
We first created Edulete, a sports education company that earned national gold and silver awards. Then, in the global round, we started from scratch and launched Hourglass Voyage, a U.S.-based travel agency specialising in curated travel experiences to Croatia. We analysed the market, presented our product advantages, and even used creative props to elevate our presentation. Before the formal presentation, we often stayed up past midnight in our hotel rooms, refining our pitch and preparing for potential questions from the judges. We rehearsed so many times that our script was practically memorised word for word.
Outside of the competition, we had the chance to explore Orlando. We spent an afternoon at the hotel’s water park, wandered around the convention centre to meet students from all over the world, and traded pins with peers from Canada, South Korea and U.S. states such as Delaware and New Mexico. Our teacher also took us to Disney Springs and Universal Studios - unforgettable moments that gave us time to relax and truly enjoy the experience.
As for the preliminary round at the NLC, the presentation went smoothly. We even caught the judge smiling and nodding in encouragement. Filled with relief and excitement, our team rushed out of the room, packed up our props in a hurry, and sprinted to find our teacher. In the final round, however, we hit a major snag - there was no Wi-Fi, and my hotspot wouldn’t connect to Canva. With just five minutes left, we quickly downloaded the presentation as a PDF and presented without animations. I could feel sweat forming on my forehead as we entered the room. But it worked. The Q&A went better than we’d hoped.
So yes - placing third feels well-earned. As the only team from China to stand on the podium in recent years, we’re incredibly honoured and proud. It was our teamwork that got us there, and it will carry us even further in the future.
Best trip ever!
Breathtaking. Powerful. Astonishing.
