Marcus Evans and Ale Bittner are pictured with Dani Casperson, a representative of SkillsUSA, a leading workforce development organization for students.

At the September meeting of the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Board, two students from Blackhawk Technical College shared their experiences with Career and Technical Student Organization groups, or CTSO groups.

Ale Bittner, a student in the Agribusiness, Science & Technology program, explained the impact of her involvement in Blackhawk’s Professional Agriculture Students (PAS) group.

“The students who spoke were really adding value to the image of the organizations we were representing. The instructors and directors can promote organizations as much as possible, but at the end of the day it is the students' experiences and takeaways that make all of it worth it,” Bittner said. “I believe that it is very important and beneficial that students are given opportunities to speak and represent the organizations they are proud to be a part of.”

Marcus Evans shared his experiences with the Business Professionals of America (BPA) student group. Evans, who is pursuing an Associate of Science degree, served as the president for Blackhawk’s BPA chapter for the last two years. He was also the president of the Wisconsin State Chapter for 2025-26. For the current school year, Evans is the WTCS Ambassador at Blackhawk.

“I believe the Board appreciated hearing from the mouths of students who are leaders and involved in the organizations that are requesting support and funding for their respective colleges,” Evans said. “An important part of a student's experience at college is to participate in student organizations and programs. Students can gain real-world knowledge, skills and abilities from being part of student organizations.”

The students represented their CTSO groups at the WTCS Board meeting in Milwaukee along with their state CTSO advisors. They gave a presentation about their CTSO organizations and testimonials of the impact it has made on their lives.