West Oso student chosen for national role in Business Professionals of America
At the beginning of his freshman year, D'Schon Simmons was encouraged by his tennis coach to join West Oso High School's Business Professionals of America club.
The coach, Carlos Lerma, is the adviser of the club and immediately had his eye on Simmons. He thought the freshman had potential.
"When I met him, I saw the way kids gravitated towards him," Lerma said.
It appears Simmons, now a junior, was a good fit for the club. This month, Simmons was chosen by peers across the country to serve as the secondary school president of the Business Professionals of America Executive Council.
"I immediately fell in love with it," Simmons said of BPA. "It's a lot of fun."
The organization aims to develop students pursuing careers in business management, information technology, finance, accounting, office administration and other business-related career fields.
His freshman year, Simmons started as a committee chair in the club, planning events and fundraisers. He was first elected to be local club president during his sophomore year. This year, he served as president at the regional level, which includes several other counties in the Coastal Bend area.
"D'Schon is the first person that's gotten such a position in the BPA clubs that I've had over the last 10 years," Lerma said. "His help, it kind of put us at the next level."
The West Oso club was recognized by the national BPA for its community service this year. One of the club's big activities involves undergoing training to help community members file their taxes as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
"I believe Business Professionals of America is preparing students for the future, there's no doubt about that," Simmons said.
At a BPA officer camp, Simmons and a friend from another school began joking about running to serve the club at the national level. The joke turned serious, and Simmons applied for the position. He made it through interviews, campaign rallies and speeches with his friend, Brando Guerra, as his campaign manager.
In addition to his involvement in BPA, Simmons' schedule is packed with numerous other extracurricular activities.
He's the student body president at school, vice president of the school Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and the president of West Oso Triumph Over Kid Cancer. He participates in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society and the school yearbook staff. On top of that, he plays varsity tennis and basketball.
Beyond that, he likes to support his fellow students whenever he can.
"I've never really had downtime," Simmons said. "My downtime is going to support at a choir concert or a football game or a baseball game."
West Oso ISD Superintendent Conrado Garcia said he isn't surprised Simmons was chosen to represent BPA on the national level.
"I've been in schools for 46 years now and I've had a lot of kids through those years — that is one rare kid in terms of his leadership, his character, his confidence, his poise," Garcia said. "When he speaks, he's not afraid to get in front of a crowd."
Garcia and Lerma both said they believe Simmons will find success in the future.
"Stay tuned," Garcia said. "We should be hearing and reading more about D'Schon. ... Whichever ways he goes, I know he will find success. From our end as a school district, it is with joy and great pride that we have such a talented student with us."
Olivia Garrett reports on education and community news in South Texas. Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com. You can support local journalism with a subscription to the Caller-Times.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: West Oso student earns national Business Professionals of America role
