BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Staff Writer

Three Clarkston High School students competed at the 2019 Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, Calif., May 1-5.
Richard Budny, Nathan Dimmer and David Moss combined to take home seven top-10 placements in competitions against over 4,000 of the nation’s best students, representing 19 states. Qualifying for the conference requires students to place among the top five in their state for at least one competitive event.
Moss, a CHS senior, placed second in Financial Math and Analysis Concepts.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Moss, the son of Rob and Darcie Moss. “Having all the work you’ve put into a subject and having it pay off on a national stage is one of the best feelings in the world.”
Budny placed fourth in Computer Programming Concepts and sixth in Java Programming.
“BPA Nationals was very exciting,” said Budny, a junior and the son of Ric Budny and Brooks Lamb-Budny. “The events were interesting, and the overall presentation was enjoyable. Plus, it was in California, which was pretty cool.
“I feel like I can confidently say I know what I’m doing now. I am definitely looking for more to do with technology. I’ve been programming for years, but BPA was a new and exciting experience and is pushing me to keep going further with technology, as well as look more at the business side of things.”
Dimmer, a sophomore and also the BPA president, medaled in four events – second place in Information Technology Concepts, third place in Administrative Support Concepts, sixth place in Computer Network Technology, and eighth place in Digital Communications and Design Concepts.
“I’m really happy with how our team did this year,” said Dimmer, the son of Ron and Linda Dimmer. “We all achieved new personal bests. I plan to major in Computer Science and become a software engineer. That’s why I participated in five hackathons (24-36-hour computer programming marathons) this school year. In addition to having a lot of fun, I won 11 awards.”
Dimmer and Moss were each awarded the BPA Ambassador Torch Award, the highest honor that BPA members can achieve for their professionalism and leadership in both career development and personal growth. They completed activities in seven categories: Leadership, Service, Cooperation, Knowledge, Friendship, Love, Hope and Faith, and Patriotism.
Dimmer also earned the Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award for his more than 300 hours of volunteer service at CHS and in the Clarkston community. The PVSA is a national program that recognizes individuals who have achieved the required number of hours of service over a 12-month time period.
Outside of the competitive events, CHS students also earned technical professional certifications. Budny and Dimmer both earned Microsoft Technical Associate certifications for their demonstrated skills in software development and IT infrastructure. Budny was certified in Introduction to Programming using HTML and CSS, and Dimmer in Introduction to Programming using JavaScript.
The conference wasn’t all work and no play, however. The students and their CHS BPA advisor, Kevin Smith, also had a bit of free time to explore some of the tourist sights of Southern California, from the Hollywood Walk of Fame to Beverly Hills to Huntington Beach.
“This was a very successful trip,” said Smith. “Besides all of the medals they won, competing at BPA Nationals gave our students a chance to acquire practical skills and to prepare for the professional world while also experiencing a bit of life away from home.”