While Jackie Montag has always loved working with numbers, she didn’t really think about a career that allowed her to get paid doing that until she was in high school.

She moved here with her family when she was in the eighth grade, and has been active on the swim and golf teams &045; she came in fourth in last week’s Big Nine golf tournament. But after spending just one year in the Business and Professionals of America chapter at Albert Lea High School, that future career in the business world seems to be getting a good start.

This spring, Montag won first place in one state BPA competition, took third place in another, competed at the national level, and won an award from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Fund.

At the state competition, where she took first place in entrepeneurship and third place in advanced accounting, she was surprisingly calm, cool and collected.

&uot;I really didn’t get very nervous. I did it for the fun of it, because I didn’t think I had any chance of winning anything,&uot; Montag said.

According to Montag and her advisor, Deb Monson, the competition at the national level was a lot tougher, and Montag was assigned a particularly difficult section to compete it. She ended up not placing there, but is still glad for the experience it provided.

The second place award in the youth division of the Initiative Fund won her a Palm Pilot, a $300 scholarship and a $500 donation for Albert Lea High School.

Most of Montag’s honors came as the result of work she did creating a business plan for a fictional home daycare business she called &uot;Tiggers Tiny Tots.&uot; According to her, the judges were impressed with her attention to details and with the quality of her presentation, which she did via a computer program.

She credits Robin Helgeson, the mother of her boyfriend, Dustin, for part of the inspiration for her project. Helgeson operates Small World Daycare in Albert Lea.

Her parents, Jay and Myrna Montag, have been supportive of her involvement in BPA and of her career choice, but are also somewhat surprised at her sudden success. Even though it wasn’t something they were pushing her to do, they are glad she took up the challenge and succeeded.

&uot;It’s something she was encouraged to do by her advisor, Ms. Monson,&uot; said Myrna Montag.

Next fall, Montag will start classes at Waldorf College, in Forest City, Iowa, where she will be enrolled in an accelerated degree program leading to a BA in financial management. She hopes to qualify as a CMA (Certified Management Accountant) after graduating.

Being active in BPA this past year has helped refine her focus as she starts planning the next phase of her education.

&uot;I’m looking to go on to a business career and this experience helped me get the bigger picture,&uot; Montag said.

&uot;And I still like numbers,&uot; she added.