“FBLA conferences are really fun for me as an opportunity to meet new people and to enjoy some time with my friends that are in FBLA, but then also focus on competition and doing well,” said Lauren Anderson. FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America, is the largest business Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) in the world with over 230,000 members worldwide. The mission of FBLA is to help students prepare for a career in business. Students attend conferences to compete against students from area schools. “I’ve been on the district leadership team for the past 4 years,” said Caleb Chung (12) who served as the District President this year. “I participated in planning that conference, so it’s always very special to me.”

FBLA inspires and prepares students to become community-minded business leaders. “I enjoy meeting people and having fun, but ultimately I hope I can use these skills I’ve learned in FBLA and transcribe them into the business world,” said Micah Ronald (11) who serves as the local chapter Co-President as well as the District Vice President of Progress. The Pine Creek Chapter nearly doubled this year with 64 members competing at the District Leadership Conference on January 25th. “I hope we can grow more. FBLA is a great opportunity for anyone who’s interested, or even considering a career or starting a business, it’s a great community,” said Chung. At the District Conference, 32 members qualified to move on to the State Conference in April where they will compete for a chance to go to the National Leadership Conference this summer in Atlanta. Overall, the Pine Creek Chapter placed first among the area chapters. 

There are many different kinds of events to compete in including tests, presentations, role-play, and speaking events. “I compete in a tested event, Introduction to Marketing Concepts, as well as a speaking event, Introduction to Public Speaking,” said Lauren Anderson, who serves as the local chapter Vice President of Progress. Students compete at the district, state and National levels as well as develop skills in leadership.  “In FBLA, you have the chance to learn and compete in many different competitive events surrounding the business world,” said Ronald. He didn’t do a speaking event this year in order to help facilitate the conference, but he competed in Introduction to Public Speaking last year. “My favorite event in FBLA is probably public speaking, and I enjoy using my voice as a way to communicate my opinions or education,” said Ronald. Speaking events are popular with many students because it doesn’t require a test or any equipment. “I really enjoyed prompt speaking because it changes every competition, so you’ll get all sorts of different topics: Some will be about business, some will be about leadership, but it’s a really fun event because of how dynamic it is,” said Chung.