With so many 8th period options to choose from, Jefferson’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter may just seem like another club in the background. But for active members, it means something much bigger.
“I decided to join FBLA because I have an interest in business, and I want to pursue that,” sophomore Director of Community Service Jeremy Lang said. “I think FBLA has been a good place for me to learn more about business.”
At a Science, Tech, Engineering and Math (STEM) focused school with limited business-related courses, FBLA provides an opportunity for those interested to explore their interests more in-depth.
“At Jefferson, there [aren’t] that many CTE (Career and Technical Education) related classes, so FBLA provided me a way to get involved with CTE-related activities,” sophomore and Marketing Committee member Gopal Chakravarthula said.
Throughout the school year, the club is constantly finding various ways to compete and grow, and they split their year into three distinct time periods.
“The first thing we try to do during the school year is to [recruit] more members and introduce them to FBLA,” sophomore and Assistant Vice President Jonathan Choi said. “After that, our second priority is preparing for competition. [After regionals], the third phase is other activities that we organize, such as FBLA marketplace, where members can open a booth and gain experience ‘owning’ a business.”
Even as a developing club, the motivation and determination of the student leadership have made FBLA successful in its inaugural year.
“Regionals is one of our only competitions of the year, and we sent over 100 people to our competitions. We had a lot [of people] who placed first [in their division],” Choi said. “[We also] have events where members can network with experienced professionals.”
FBLA leaders hope that more students will join and embrace their passion for business.
“FBLA is more like a family than an actual club to me,” Choi said. “We all participate together, and through our activities at meetings, we create a strong bond together.”