Shaping the Future: Insights from the Ohio BPA State Competition
- Christy Bertolo
- 11 hours ago
- 2 min read
There is nothing quite like the energy of a room full of ambitious students to remind the BridgEDÂ team why the work of career readiness is so vital.
Recently, Neeta Agrawal, BridgED's Executive Director spent the day at the Ohio Business Professionals of America (BPA) state-level competition, serving as a judge for the AI in Education category. To say she walked away impressed would be an understatement.
The Next Generation’s Take on AI
Neeta had the privilege of hearing 15 high school students from across the state present their findings on the dual-edged sword of Artificial Intelligence. In a world where AI is often met with either blind optimism or total skepticism, these students brought a refreshing level of nuance to the table.
The presentations tackled the big questions facing the industry today:
The Benefits:Â How personalized AI tutoring can bridge achievement gaps and streamline administrative tasks for teachers.
The Risks:Â Navigating the ethics of data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the vital importance of maintaining human critical thinking.
Collaboration in Action
A major highlight of the experience was the partnership with co-judge Manika W. Having a partner equally passionate about student success made the day even more rewarding, proving that the best insights often come from strong collaboration.
Why This Matters for BridgED
Moments like this reinforce the "why" behind everything we do at BridgED.
We often talk about "preparing students for the future," but as Neeta noted, that future is already here. AI is fundamentally changing the landscape of every industry. If we aren't connecting classroom learning to these real-world shifts, we’re doing our students a disservice.
Watching these high schoolers masterfully defend their positions on emerging tech reinforces our core mission: to bridge the gap between education and the evolving careers of tomorrow.
Congratulations to all the competitors! Ohio’s future is looking incredibly bright (and very tech-savvy).
Interested in how BridgED connects students to the future of work? Reach out to learn more about our latest initiatives in career readiness and emerging technology.