As spring break approaches, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members are preparing for this year’s state competition, the State Leadership Conference (SLC), which will be held in Ontario from April 12-15.
During SLC, members compete in their respective events in hopes of advancing to nationals. Thirteen members, consisting mostly of juniors, will travel by bus with club adviser Matthew Welander and Cupertino High’s FBLA club.
“We are hoping to place some members, and we have sent members as wild cards, despite not placing at Bay,” said vice president Mackenzie Lee, a junior. “Some events start competition at states, so we will hope for the best.”
Each school can send up to two wild card entries, which is a chance for individuals to compete in state events even if they did not officially qualify for states through the regional conference, Lee said.
According to the club’s secretary, junior Angeli Huang, there are a wide variety of events, including objective tests and other judged events, which may involve giving presentations or speeches. There are also pre-judged events, such as web design or mobile app creation.
Leading up to competitions or conferences, members prepare beforehand and may collaborate with others for their events, such as Group Mobile Application Development or Parliamentary Procedure, club vice president junior Mackenzie Lee said.
“There is an excited atmosphere with everyone anticipating their event,” Lee said. “The conferences are very orderly and structured with set schedules, seminar-like presentations and judges. They are meant to replicate a professional environment to prepare students to be — as the club's name suggests — Future Business Leaders of America.”
News about these events spread and inspired new members to participate.
“I joined FBLA because I read in the newspaper about how senior Caitlyn Chen made her FBLA mobile app last year, and it seemed super cool,” sophomore FBLA member Christine Lee said.
FBLA recently participated in the Bay Section Conference, where three members advanced to the state finals.
At SLC, Christine will be participating in website design, while Huang will be participating in business law. With a wide range of topics, members can choose which events they find most interesting.
In hopes of becoming a more coherent club that works together on holistic projects, FBLA has participated in the Government Awareness Project and hopes to receive the Award of Excellence for their chapter. The Government Awareness Project requires at least five members to write letters to government officials about FBLA and what members have gained from their experiences.
“I am really looking forward to attending the States Competition this year because it is a new and exciting experience for me, and I want to learn more about business through the presentations and speakers,” Christine said.