The Business Professionals of America (BPA) Ohio State Leadership Conference ended with big results for DACC: 35 students competed, 28 earned top-10 finishes, and DACC brought home two state championships. But when the winning teams sat down afterward to reflect, they talked less about trophies and more about the people who helped them get there and what they learned about themselves in the process.
View an album of photos here. Photo credit, Romey White, Digital Design.
Computer Animation: A cinematic trailer
For DACC’s first-place Computer Animation Team, the challenge was to create a game promo trailer around an “escape the jungle” prompt, complete with traps, enemies, and game features that made the final product feel like a real release.
The team embraced the creative freedom of the prompt and chose a dramatic, film-style approach. “We went more cinematic with it, so it felt more like watching a cinematic game trailer or movie trailer,” said Charlie Riemenschneider. The students drew inspiration from Apocalypse Now, then layered in their own twist, including robots, aliens, and custom music created for the project. They even included an “Easter egg” that referenced a character from a previous BPA project.
As much as the project showcased technical skill, the students described it as a lesson in perseverance and collaboration. Charlie Shellenbarger shared that he faced doubt as the workload piled up. “But we pushed through, and I’ve learned that I can push myself.”
State Champions — Computer Animation Team:
Meredith Balek, Senior – Olentangy Berlin and DACC Digital Design
Ambar Loya Sotomayor, Senior – Westerville North and DACC Digital Design
Charlie Riemenschneider, Senior – Olentangy Berlin and DACC Digital Design
Charlie Shellenbarger, Senior – Thomas Worthington and DACC Digital Design
User Experience Design: Powered by preparation
DACC’s first-place User Experience Design Team earned its state title by combining strong design thinking with the ability to present like professionals under pressure. Their project was built in Figma, an industry-standard tool used to create interactive prototypes that show how an app or website would actually function.
On competition day, the team had only a limited time to set up and present to a panel of judges, so clarity and confidence mattered just as much as the design itself. When they presented earlier than expected, the students relied on a lesson they’d learned through practice: a memorized script won’t save you if something changes. “We’ve tried following a script. It does not work,” said Lucina Clark. Instead, they focused on knowing their work well enough to speak to it naturally and stay composed.
After the competition, the team repeatedly emphasized how grateful they are for the teachers and mentors who helped them get there. “I’m very thankful for all of our teachers,” Clark said. “Mr. Fuller, especially, has a background in user experience, so he was always there motivating us and navigating us through.”
After the win, Zavaski described the moment as more than a personal accomplishment: “We wouldn’t have been able to do this without our teachers’ support,” she said. The team also credited mentor Hannah Clegg for providing BPA-style feedback and helping them strengthen both their project and their presentation.
State Champions - User Experience Design Team:
Abigail Camealy, Senior – Home Schooled and DACC Digital Design
Lucina Clark, Senior – Westerville Central and DACC Digital Design
Lillian Hohenbrink, Senior – Big Walnut and DACC Digital Design
Kate Zavaski, Senior – Olentangy Liberty and DACC Digital Design
Strong results across DACC
In addition to the two state championship teams, DACC students earned top-10 finishes across a wide range of technology, design, and business events. Overall, 25 DACC students qualified for national competition.
Additional Top-10 Finishers (DACC competitors):
2nd – Device Configuration and Troubleshooting: Jackson VanAlstine, Junior – Olentangy High School and DACC Cybersecurity
2nd – C# Programming: Hayden Burchfield, Junior – Olentangy High School and DACC Application Development and Programming Technology
2nd – C++ Programming: Haven Lavender, Senior – Delaware Hayes High School and DACC Application Development and Programming Technology
2nd — Website Design Team:
Ali Ali, Senior – Olentangy High School and DACC Application Development and Programming Technology
Muhammed Lyanda, Senior – Westerville Central and DACC Application Development and Programming Technology
BP Padilla, Senior – Delaware Hayes High School and DACC Application Development and Programming Technology
2nd — Visual Design Team:
Gracie Burchwell, Junior – Olentangy Berling and DACC Digital Design
Jude Smock, Junior – Olentangy High School and DACC Digital Design
Maren Vyverberg, Junior – Olentangy Berlin and DACC Digital Design
3rd — Graphic Design Promotion: Matthew Carman, Junior – Big Walnut High School and DACC Digital Design
3rd — Video Production Team:
Jackson Brewster, Senior – Delaware Hayes and DACC Digital Design
Tanner Brua, Senior – Home Schooled and DACC Digital Design
Josh Sermon, Senior – Home Schooled and DACC Digital Design
Nicholas DeVault, Senior – Home Schooled and Digital Design
5th — C# Programming: Joshua Berko, Junior – Westerville South and DACC Application Development and Programming Technology
7th — Computer Modeling: Leah Dunham, Junior – Delaware Hayes and DACC Digital Design
8th — Java Programming: Keegan Bates, Junior – Olentangy High School and DACC Application Development and Programming Technology
8th — Fundamentals of Web Design: Arav Choudhary, Junior, Olentangy and DACC Application Development and Programming Technology
9th — SQL Database Fundamentals: Jessica Jonah, Senior – Olentangy High School and DACC Application Development and Programming Technology
10th — Fundamentals of Web Design: Bernard Mensah-Kumih, Senior – Westerville South and DACC Application Development and Programming Technology
Delaware Hayes students in DACC business courses
Congratulates students who take DACC business courses at Delaware Hayes High School for their strong state results:
Top-10 Qualifiers:
1st — Administrative Support Research Project: An Fam
9th — Fundamental Spreadsheet Applications: Huxley Wright
8th — Economic Research Team: Gavin Graham, Graham Hursey, Wesley Groff, Cooper Kaasa
10th — Presentation Team: Roman Berlin, Lincoln Cox
Additional regional winners who advanced to state:
Sujata Bhandari - Presentation Individual
Aiden Hockinberry - Business Law and Ethics
Jordan Deaver - Fundamental Accounting
Special recognition: BPA Ohio Pin Design Winner
DACC student Spencer Rick (Senior, Buckeye Valley High School and DACC Digital Design) attended the awards session to be recognized for winning the BPA Ohio Pin Design competition. Spencer’s design will be produced for BPA students across Ohio to wear at the National Leadership Conference.
About Business Professionals of America (BPA)
Business Professionals of America is a national career and technical student organization that develops workplace and leadership skills through competitions, professional events, and service opportunities. BPA gives students authentic experience applying technical knowledge, communication, and teamwork under real deadlines, preparing them for college, careers, and life beyond the classroom.
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