Standing straight up, wearing suits and blazer, speaking up to a panel of professional judges, Parkway Central’s FBLA members just competed in the district leadership conference on Feb. 5 this year. 40 of the FBLA members qualified to compete in the state leadership conference from April 13 to 15.
FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America, is an organization that offers a variety of competitions to high school students to develop leadership and business skills. Sophomore Tharun Piruthiviraj, a delegate from FBLA, joined to help him gain more knowledge in business.
“FBLA is a space for like minded individuals to come together and compete in business-related events,” Piruthiviraj said. “I joined because I love the world of business and this was an avenue into it.”
Leading up to the district competition, FBLA hosted study sessions for members to prepare for their various events. Many members do additional preparation on their own. Junior Tiana Roshan, Vice President of FBLA, prepared with her group for her competition event video production.
“Leading up to the district competition, my team and I spent a lot of time refining our projects, practicing our presentations, and reviewing feedback from our advisors,” Roshan said. “We also studied past competition guidelines and made sure our submissions met all the required criteria.”
At the competition, students are evaluated by professionals in their areas. According to Roshan, it’s a valuable experience to have, and students can learn a lot.
“My favorite part of the district competition is getting to meet a lot of people and being judged by professionals from the tech and business industries,” Roshan said. “It’s a great opportunity to receive real-world feedback and improve our skills.”
Beside the learning opportunity, the district leadership conference also announced the teams that qualify for state leadership conference – top five teams in each event advance to state.Piruthiviraj and Roshan both feel excited to qualify for state and see their hard work in preparation finally off. Junior Aaliya Jomy, the secretary of FBLA, also qualified for state. She is excited for the different events at the state conference.
“Me and my team are extremely excited after qualifying for states,” Jomy said. “I’m looking forward to the fierce competition, career-focused workshops, and multiple opportunities to showcase our PCH spirit and competence at the state level.”
Many competition events are team events. FBLA allowed students to work with others in order to achieve their goals. Piruthiviraj is thankful for his teammates in the competitions.
“I am so relieved and excited that me and my team are going to state and I couldn’t have done it without them,” Piruthiviraj said. “I am looking forward to meeting new people and enjoying the convention.”
Overall, Parkway Central’s FBLA saw a growth in member participation this year. As one of the leaders of FBLA, Jomy is proud of the team’s accomplishments.
“I feel thrilled about the accomplishments of our team,” Jomy said. “We’ve had a huge boost in membership this year, and many of our members placed at districts and qualified for states. I am hopeful that we continue this streak of success.”
