An FBLA member doing a presentation at a competition
AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE UPS & DOWNS OF RUNNING A BUSINESS
“A lot of kids who join are undecided about whether they want to go into business or join just for the fun, but then ultimately decide they do want to go into business,” she says. “But whether or not they become a business major, they know it will give them some cool opportunities other groups might not.”
About 50 of her students this year attended a regional FBLA competition and 42 students plan to go to state this year. Outside of the competitions, the students get an insider’s look at the ups and downs of running a business by forming partnerships with local companies and small businesses. This year, the Wasatch chapter paired up with Quench It! Soda Shack and a local florist shop, where students get a chance to talk with the owners about challenges of running a business, Di Stefano says.
The experience that students in the club get makes them appealing to well-regarded undergraduate business programs in the state, such as the University of Utah’s Huntsman School of Business and Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business, Di Stefano adds. Recruiters from those schools will regularly visit Wasatch High school and make a special presentation to the chapter’s FBLA members. One year, recruiters from the Marriott School invited students to come down and take a tour of the school and meet with current business students.
HELPING TO DEVELOP PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS
“The school recognizes the caliber of students that are in FBLA and are impressed with their experience,” says Di Stefano. “ I think that definitely gives them an advantage and the schools like to target the FBLA students.”
At Monroe-Woodbury High School in Long Island, many parents of FBLA members work in the financial services industry in nearby New York City, giving students an inside look at the business world. The club has 58 registered members, about 40% of who plan to go on to study business, says Jacqueline Palkaunieks, the faculty advisor for the Monroe-Woodbury FBLA chapter. Speakers from financial services companies often come to talk to students, and the chapter recently teamed up with Deloitte to travel to a tax forum held this fall at Lehigh University, where they got to hobnob with the leaders from the IRS and the financial services industry. Those types of experiences are invaluable for the students, believes Palkaunieks
“The group helps them develop their public speaking skills, which is so important for when they go sit down with college recruiters,” says Palkaunieks. “They’ve already developed the skills to basically convince them they are the right candidate for their institution.”
KNOWING HOW TO GIVE AN ELEVATOR PITCH
In addition, Monroe-Woodbury’s FBLA members get hands-on business experience by marketing the school’s drama performances, taking charge of ticket sales and helping to run the box office. On the community service front, members are working this year to raise money to support research for Lou Gehrig’s disease and are instrumental in making the community’s blood drive a success, Palkaunieks adds.
Tim Mulvihill, president of the Monroe-Woodbury chapter and a senior, says the experience he has gotten in FBLA has been invaluable when applying to business programs at Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University. He has competed in various FBLA competitions, and last year placed second in the graphic design category at the New York state leadership conference, going on to compete at the national competition last year.
“The group has helped me with things like public speaking, being able to interview correctly and things as simple as giving the correct handshake and knowing how to give an elevator speech,” he says. “Those skills have helped a lot when it comes to the college process, and enabled me to be more relaxed, professional and mature when interviewing with alumni.”
At Paris High School in Arkansas, which has 326 students, membership in FBLA is booming, says Molly Bennett, the chapter’s advisor. There are 163 members of the Paris High School FBLA chapter, meaning that 50% of the student body at the high school belongs to the group, she says.
“The students constantly want to do more and be more successful than last year’s group,” says Bennett. “When they hear that a friend has made it to the national competition, they feed off that energy and want that success for themselves.”
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