Collegiate Senior Showcases Economics Knowledge at BPA State Competition

It’s difficult to turn on the television news or read a newspaper without hearing about the economy.

Collegiate High School senior Noemi Gallegos decided to do a deep dive on Economics at the Business Professionals of America (BPA) State Competition earlier this month in Dallas.

“Economics is something that interests me, and I definitely want to learn more about it,”said Gallegos, who won first place in the category of Economic Research at BPA State.

Gallegos, who will be a first generation college student, ranks sixth out of 74 in the Collegiate Class of 2023. She was one of 28 Cedar Hill ISD scholars to qualify for BPA Nationals.

A Macroeconomics Class at Dallas College-Cedar Valley piqued Gallegos’ interest and changed the course of her career goals. She plans to study Economics this fall at the University of North Texas.

“I had the opportunity to research inflation and interest rates,” said Gallegos, who competed in BPA for the first time earlier this month. 

While most of her coursework has been in Macroeconomics, she’s also interested in exploring Microeconomics.

Gallegos has attended Cedar Hill ISD since 2009 when she was a Pre-K Scholar Highlands Elementary.

“My father spoke to me about the opportunities at Collegiate High School,” Gallegos said. “I was inspired and motivated to apply and attend. I realized how beneficial attending Collegiate would be. I’ll earn my Associate’s Degree in May and be on the path to earning a Master’s Degree soon.”

When she first arrived at Collegiate, it was an adjustment.

“I never had anything lower than an A before I enrolled at Collegiate,” Gallegos said. “I learned what it means to go to college classes, to study and manage my own time.”