FBLA competitors thrive at SLC
Published 9:17 am Tuesday, April 30, 2019
BY SYDNEY MULLINS
On the weekend of April 5-7, 12 members and two advisers from Buckingham County High School (BCHS) Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) attended the State Leadership Conference in Reston. They competed against other students from all over the state in more than 75 business competitions. BCHS members took tests to prove their business knowledge, gave speeches and presented their work to a panel of judges.
Amil Bolden competed in Business Communications which is a test about the language that is used in a business setting. She also competed in Local Chapter Annual Business Report where she wrote a report on the activities the chapter completed in the 2018-19 school year. She received an Honorable Mention award and will continue to compete at the National Leadership Conference (NLC) in San Antonio, Texas.
Cole Bohanon demonstrated his skills in coding and programming by creating a database for the FBLA chapter. He had to present his creation process to the judges while at the conference. Bohanon placed first in his event and will travel to San Antonio this summer.
Tajhmir Gough delivered a public service announcement to the judges explaining the importance of “soft skills” in the workplace. He had to include a video which he wrote and directed himself. Gough walked across the stage Saturday night and placed fourth in his event. He will be attending the NLC in San Antonio.
Morgan Small formulated a sales presentation to theoretically sell a product to the judges. She received high marks and a comment from one of the judges, saying, “You’ll be getting an order!” She was awarded a first place trophy and will continue to sell products at the national level in June.
Christyn Amos and Sydney Mullins competed in Banking and Financial Systems, a test that is based around banks and federal regulations surrounding money. They also competed in Community Service Project which is a chapter event. They gave a presentation to the judges about their service project at Heritage Hall in February. The duo placed fourth and will take their first plane ride to San Antonio.
Rachel Bardon competed in Emerging Business Issues where she explained the pros and cons to microchips being placed in employees’ hands in certain work environments. She convinced the judges and accepted her fifth place award.
Harleen Raj took a test involving Political Science where she expressed her knowledge of the government and its operations. Colton Morris answered many questions about securities and investments in his event and Buddy Terry, Jr. demonstrated his knowledge of the origin of FBLA in his event.
Nathan Brickhill delivered a speech to the judges in Public Speaking concerning multiple FBLA goals. He focused on patriotism and how essential it is to a person’s character. He also explained that when someone is patriotic, they have the potential to be a great business leader.
Kimmie Bryan competed in Introduction to Public Speaking where she discussed the importance of confidence in academics and the workplace. She informed the judges about FBLA’s influence on her life in the past year.
The BCHS FBLA members had a great time at the State Leadership Conference. Their weekend was filled with fellowship, competition and networking opportunities. BCHS walked away with many awards from this conference. Six members from the chapter will represent Buckingham and Virginia at the National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas, in June.