Happy Saturday!

It’s Saturday morning, March 15, and here is all the information you need for today:

Today’s highlights on the schedule include the Open Competitive Events, as well as Saturday judged events and finals for many competitions. We’ve got 6 more Legacy Launcher workshops in store today on a broad range of topics sure to be of interest to student leaders. This afternoon, the Meet the Candidates Campaign Rally will give chapter Voting Delegates and other members the chance to meet and interact with the students running for State Officer positions. Later this evening is the Dinner Session, a formal session where, among other things, the 2008-2009 State Executive Council will be installed. This is a really fun event, and we’re excited to tell you more about it later today.

Good luck to all students competing today, as well as all the State Executive Council candidates!

State Executive Council Interviews

Just a quick note to let you know about one of the behind-the-scenes events going on today that very few people get a chance to experience. All day today the Michigan BPA student officer team, collectively the State Executive Council or SEC, have been conducting interviews for those students who applied to be on the 2008-2009 Council.

Over the course of this conference, candidates are interviewed by the current SEC and select Michigan BPA staff members, tonight they’ll each give a speech in front of EVERYONE at the SLC (over 2,000 people!), and they’ll also meet with BPA members from across Michigan during a campaign rally. Good luck to all the candidates!

All About Legacy Launchers!

Legacy Launchers are what we call dynamic, interactive leadership development workshops geared especially for our Michigan BPA high school student members. The first ones just started, and they are packed with students participating and enjoying the speakers.

 Right now, CharMaine Hines, Development Coordinator for Michigan BPA is presenting an interactive workshop on college preparation and planning, and students are really enjoying her presentation. Next door, Kristin Mazaitis from Flagstar Bank and Nathan Cradit from Central Michigan University are presenting on the other side of college…what happens once you’re there! Their high-energy session has students exploring new ideas for how to be successful once they hit the college campus of their choice this fall, and how to make the most out of this important and exciting time in a student’s life.

 Later today, Alison Vaughn from Jackets for Jobs, Inc. will be presenting on first impressions and professional dress, and Diane White-Stengel from Michigan BPA chapter GASC Technology Center will be showing her tried-and-true tips and tricks for getting the most out of BPA’s Torch Awards Program. Later this afternoon, Lacy Otteman from Central Michigan University will be speaking on how to begin the college search process, and what to do after you’ve chosen your dream school. Concurrently, past state officers of Michigan BPA will be hosting a panel discussion on time management skills, exploring different techniques students can use for managing their time.

Hanging Out at the Open Events

The open events are going on right now, and tons of students are competing in these competitions in DeVos Place’s beautiful ballroom, so we thought we should take a second to let you know what this special group of competitive events is all about. For most competitions at this SLC, students who are competing have already placed as top finalists in earlier contests in their local regions, qualifying them to compete this weekend on the state level. The open events are a group of tests students can take on a wide range of business topics  that are open to all students at the conference. Top students in these events will qualify to represent Michigan at the National Leadership Conference in Reno, Nevada in May.  Events in this category include everything from Medical and Legal Office Procedures, to Financial Math & Analysis, to Information Technology Concepts and more.

Open events go on from 9:00 to 3:00 today in DeVos Place Ballroom A. The last student will be admitted to compete at 2:00 p.m.

Good Friday Morning!

It’s Friday, March 14, 2008 and the 2008 State Leadership Conference is underway! As we speak students from across the state of Michigan are putting the finishing touches on their presentations, studying their accounting procedures, double-checking their computer and technology equipment, and doing anything else needed for their Friday competitions.

Up ahead for today, we’ll have posts covering a few of the competitive events going on, the Legacy Launcher dynamic workshop series, as well as coverage of this evening’s Annual Business Meeting, and the Opening Session of the conference. We’re also going to post our first student profile, giving you an inside look at what Michigan BPA is all about…the students.

Good luck to those students with competitions today, and have a happy Friday!

ThinkFast!

Think of it as a high-energy game show, with real prizes…live, in person! Right now delegates at the SLC are in the Ambassador Ballroom of the Amway Grand Plaza playing ThinkFast!, a trivia game show sponsored by Davenport University. This game show, complete with lights, buzzers, and a host tests their knowledge of current events and trivia from the worlds of business, news and popular culture. Those who do well win real prizes, and for everyone, it’s a great way to spend the first evening in Grand Rapids for the SLC.

Tomorrow the first competitions of the Workplace Skills Assessment Program begin, and the conference is officially underway!

Don’t forget that for pictures from tonight’s ThinkFast! event, you can visit our Web site at www.michiganbpa.org/slc for daily photo updates. They’ll be posted later this evening. A new feature this year, our daily photo updates will keep you connected to all the action. At the end of each day of the SLC, all the photos taken by the conference photographer of that day’s events will be posted to our site. We’re really excited about this new feature, and hope you enjoy it!

Arrival

The Courtesy Corps (registration/conference information desk) has officially opened, and there are a ton of schools arriving as we speak. The lobby here at the Amway Grand Plaza is filling up, and it’s exciting to see everyone! Conference registration desks are also open this evening until 9:00 at the other hotels housing students for the 2008 SLC.