March 4, 2026
By Chloe Lin
Staff Writer
With the State Leadership Conference less than a week away, 60 members of the Future Business Leaders of America Club are preparing for fierce competition at Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Atlantic City.
At the conference, which will take place between March 9-11, judges from across New Jersey will evaluate the competitors based on their performance on objective tests, presentations and role play events. The top scorers will then advance to the National Leadership Conference, which will be held in San Antonio from June 29-July 2.
World History and Advanced Placement Human Geography teacher Mr. Spence, a first-year co-advisor who shares responsibility with Spanish teacher Mrs. Silvelo, said students receive guidance throughout the preparation process.
“Students will be creating their presentations at home, but they’re meeting with Mrs. Silvelo and [me] regularly at lunch, [during] or after school to brainstorm and get feedback,” Spence said. “They can also get help from the upperclassmen [and officers].”
Spence said dedication and preparation play a major role in presentation quality.
“A common mistake is not putting the time in and not believing in the work that they’ve created. The students who put more time into their presentations feel more confident in them, and that shows,” Spence said.
He said to be successful, students need to approach the competition with an open mind.
“Go in with a willingness to learn. Go in knowing that if you give 110%, you’re making the Lyndhurst community proud,” Spence said.
He said the FBLA Club provides students with a foundation that will benefit them throughout their lives.
“Public speaking skills are probably the most obvious way that students benefit from attending the state conference,” Spence said. “The ability to see a community of students that are like-minded, to realize that there are opportunities out there, whether it’s for the rest of their high school career or after high school, I think that’s really important.”
Freshman Angelina Megally, who is a first-year club member, said she joined the FBLA Club to grow personally and professionally.
“It has so many opportunities to give to young students like me. It gives me a lot of experience, and I’m excited to meet new people and build up my business skills,” Megally said.
Megally said she is looking forward to competing with freshmen Camila Bernal and Lexus Pomberger in the Visual Design Presentation event.
“I want to go into FBLA knowing that I can place because I [have] the confidence in myself to do it,” Megally said. “I want to go in thinking, ‘I have a project that’s going to win this.’”
Junior Nicholas Rizzo, a third-year member and executive secretary of the club, said he is excited to revisit the Sales Presentation event, which he and his partners, juniors Elarya Megally and Christina Mizeski, were unable to participate in last year.
“Go in with a willingness to learn. Go in knowing that if you give 110%, you’re making the Lyndhurst community proud.”
“Last year, we wanted to do a sales presentation, but there was a mistake, and we were registered under the wrong event. I was very upset that we had to redo our work and make a whole new project for a new category of Social Media Strategies, but ultimately, we presented that one in Atlantic City, and it got us to nationals in Anaheim, California.” Rizzo said. “We were passionate about presenting and competing in Sales, so this year, we’re finally doing it.”
Rizzo said he appreciates the creativity involved in the FBLA Club.
“I enjoy making [a presentation] with my team and being able to add our personalities into it,” Rizzo said. “At the end of the day, [FBLA] is a club and should be fun.”
Rizzo said that, despite not placing at Nationals last summer, he feels optimistic about this year.
“You learn how to fail, and you also learn what it takes to succeed,” Rizzo said. “This year, we want to exceed expectations. We want to win at nationals.”
