By Michael Gelbwasser, Contributing Writer
Marlborough – Local students Ashley Beauchamp and Abigail Mangsen's road to becoming business professionals includes an upcoming trip to Indianapolis thanks to awards from Marlborough-area business leaders.
On April 16, the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce presented its first $500 Cathy Gregory Mogavero Business Professionals of America (BPA) awards to Beauchamp, a Marlborough High School senior, and Mangsen, an Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School sophomore. The chamber's scholarship fund will sponsor the awards, through the Marlborough Regional Community Foundation's auspices.
The awards will fund the students” travel to the BPA's 2014 National Leadership Conference, including competitions, set for April 30 to May 4, in Indianapolis, Ind. The BPA programs at the students” schools will receive the balance of their awards.
Beauchamp said she's excited about the conference “because it definitely prepares me for my future.”
She said she wants to pursue a career in business and plans to major in accounting at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in the fall.
Marlborough Regional Community Foundation President Darren McLaughlin said the awards program will be open to students at Marlborough, Assabet Valley and Hudson high schools who qualify for the BPA's national conference.
“It's an acknowledgment of their performance at the regional and state levels. And, the national slogan for Business Professionals of America is “Today's students. Tomorrow's business professionals,” which is a perfect fit for what we do,” said McLaughlin, who noted that no Hudson students qualified this year.
The program is named for Cathy Mogavero, who retired in December after 15 years as the chamber's executive vice president.
Mangsen said receiving the award “means a lot to me, because my whole shop has been working so hard this year working toward BPA.”
“I's looking forward to being able to meet people from all over the country. I think it's going to be a really great experience,” she said.
