April 9, 2024
By Sean Disbrow
Staff Writer
Following the State Leadership Conference in Atlantic City, which ran from March 11-13, 16 members of the Future Business Leaders of America Club will be moving on to compete at the national level in Orlando, Florida from June 29-July 2.
To qualify for the National Leadership Conference, students had to place in the top three in their respective objective tests, presentations or role-plays.
Junior Isaac Camilo, who joined FBLA as a freshman, earned first place in the Electronic Career Portfolio event and and will be attending nationals in June.
“I chose this event because it made me think about my future career [in business management] and everything I’ve accomplished thus far to help me qualify for it in the future,” Camilo said. “I’ve always had a passion for business and hope to pursue it as a career.”
Camilo said of the three years he attended the State Leadership Conference, this year was his favorite.
“In past years, not as many people that I knew went so it was less interactive. It was the same in the aspect of there being meetings to attend and events to compete in,” Camilo said.
Senior Nathalia Barillas, who joined FBLA this year and earned second place in the Management Information Systems event alongside her partners seniors Ava Gonzalez and Elida Kuka, said she enjoyed everything about her event, which required students to create an app to help hospitals stay organized for patients and staff.
“I enjoyed how we had to put ourselves in the situation of the prompt because it was like playing a role, and we had to come up with a new solution on the spot. I loved my event, and I don’t have anything negative to say about it,” Barillas said.
She said she chose her event to challenge herself.
“[Management Information Systems is] not an easy topic to teach or describe to other people,” Barillas said. “I knew a few things about it, and I wanted to learn more.”
Barillas said she wishes she would have joined FBLA earlier in her high school career.
“I chose [this event] because of my acting experience and interest in broadcasting. My group and I prepared by writing our script and reciting our lines numerous times.”
“I would most definitely go on this trip again if I had the opportunity,” Barillas said. “I wish I had known about this sooner during my junior year, so I could’ve done it then.”
Sophomore Joseph Brennen, who joined FBLA last year, earned third place in the Broadcast Journalism event alongside his partners junior Janset Çinaz and sophomore Rebecca Ruiz.
“I feel satisfied with our performance in the event. However, there is always room for improvement, and we will continue to improve our performance for nationals,” Brennen said.
He said the Broadcast Journalism event was a good fit for his skill set.
“I chose [this event] because of my acting experience and interest in broadcasting. My group and I prepared by writing our script and reciting our lines numerous times,” Brennen said.
He said he expects to enjoy his time at nationals.
“I’m looking forward to the feeling that comes with going on a trip with people my age,” Brennen said. “I know that this kind of experience beats most other experiences because of the freedom that comes with it.”
