On Saturday, February 28, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club attended the Bay Section Leadership Conference (BSLC) at Westmoor High School in Daly City. This year, LAHS students competed in 13 different events, from Business Calculations and Economics to Public Speaking and Personal Finance. FBLA is a national organization that hosts conferences at different levels and provides learning resources for students interested in a wide range of business applications.
“The conference was a great way for us to bond within our chapter, as well as network with other schools,” sophomore Veronica Hsu said. “Personally, it was really inspiring to see how passionate the candidates running for Bay Section Officer positions were about FBLA, and it got me even more excited for the upcoming conferences.”
The conference was a great way for us to bond within our chapter, as well as network with other schools. Personally, it was really inspiring to see how passionate the candidates running for Bay Section Officer positions were about FBLA, and it got me even more excited for the upcoming conferences. -sophomore Veronica Hsu
Qualifying club members will advance to the State Leadership Conference (SLC). Five members qualified for the SLC through the BSLC: FBLA president senior Michelle Deng for placing fifth in Economics; seniors Allison Mock, Sitara Sriram and Michele Tom for placing fourth in Entrepreneurship; and sophomore David Ding for fourth in Personal Finance.
Members spend the time between tournaments preparing for their events; for example, David plans to utilize many resources to prepare for his event at SLC in April.
“I am planning to use online resources such as practice tests and rubrics to study the material,” David said. “I’ll also use a textbook to supplement my knowledge on my event.”
SLC competitors freshmen Alyssa Sun and Samira Sriram, sophomores Veronica Hsu, Laura Liu and Sean Adibi, and juniors Krishna Ammini and Selynna Sun all have events that begin directly at the state level, such as Client Service, Help Desk and Networking Concepts.
An FBLA conference event typically consists of multiple choice exams in different fields like Accounting, Business Procedures, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Sports and Entertainment Management. Competitors study prior to the conference, and the winners and qualifiers for higher level conferences are chosen by the highest scores on exams.
As the level of the FBLA conference becomes more advanced, so do the activities, which go from multiple choice exams to more complex presentations and public speaking tasks.
“My first event in FBLA was entrepreneurship, and in that event at state level you have 20 minutes, you get a prompt, you have to give a presentation and you have 10 minutes to make a powerpoint,” Michelle said. “I didn’t even know that was a part of the competition. I was freaking out, but our team was really good and we practiced a lot.”
The club’s officers participate in school fundraisers and club faire events to raise money for textbooks and other resources that will prepare each FBLA member for their event. To create a rounded and extensive experience for newcomers, club advisor Mike Messner created the opportunity for students to meet and learn from adult business professionals. For example, the students interested in Public Speaking received guidance from a professional San Jose State University debate coach.
“In FBLA you can explore what you want to do that relates to business or your future career, and you can gain leadership skills,” Michelle said. “The whole time while you’re exploring, you’ll have more experienced members who are very helpful and will spend time mentoring you and answering your questions.”
In FBLA you can explore what you want to do that relates to business or your future career, and you can gain leadership skills. The whole time while you’re exploring, you’ll have more experienced members who are very helpful and will spend time mentoring you and answering your questions. -club president senior Michelle Deng
Meetings with professionals and club mentors are not the only connections that FBLA members make. Through Bay Area-wide socials, the school’s members have the opportunity to expand their student network. For example, the LAHS chapter organizes an annual ice skating event to mingle with the clubs from Homestead and Cupertino High Schools.
“Being part of FBLA means getting comfortable with doing something new and being uncomfortable,” Michelle said. “I joined FBLA because everyone was really welcoming and I really got the impression that it didn’t matter what the result was because everyone was going to support me. That made me more comfortable taking risks and I see a lot of the freshmen going through the same process.”
SLC will run from Thursday, April 9 to Sunday, April 12 at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara. Those who place in the top three of their event will advance to the national conference, which will be hosted in Chicago, Illinois, from June 28 to 29.
