FBLA club sweeps sweepstakes award
The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club attended its annual Sectionals competition on Feb. 6 at West Ranch High School in Santa Clarita, California. At the competition, students took individual or team tests in different fields of study that all relate to business.
For the first time ever, the club won the first place Sweepstakes award, which rewards the school whose club performed the best overall. In addition, juniors Jeffrey Sun and Rayna Kanapuram were elected to the Gold Coast section leadership board as the Vice President of Membership and Vice President of Activities, respectively.
After the club’s previous advisor quit last year, FBLA members were frantic to find a replacement. “We had to switch advisors in the middle of the year, which was really stressful and it messed up our club for a little while,” Zoie Wong, junior and club historian, said. “But we were able to come back this year and win sweepstakes and have the only two people who applied to the Gold Coast Board from our school get onto the board. We were able to do everything that we went to sectionals for.”
The club’s new advisor English teacher Brandon Janes was quick to step up to the plate. “Initially, I said yes to just advising them for one competition until they got on their feet so that they wouldn’t get disqualified,” Janes said. “But when we went to the regional competition last year, I got to see the merit of their work and we all bonded. From then, I knew that this was a great opportunity for me to be an advisor and now it’s been almost a year and a half since then. It’s been the best time.”
Hoping to build upon their newfound momentum, members are looking forward to the State Competition on April 16 in order to advance to the Nationals level in Atlanta, Georgia.
“We want to place well at the State Leadership Conference and make it to Nationals,” Kanapuram said. “Our chapter is very promising this year and we hope to send a large group to Nationals.”
