Junior Amiee Taylor stands before a crowd on Nov. 15, ready to present. As she finishes her presentation on Healthcare Administration, audience members applaud. 

Future Business Leaders of America is giving members hands-on experience in business, leadership and communication. This year the club has seen growth as more students discover its opportunities.

   According to fbla.org, “Each year, FBLA helps more than 230,000 members in middle school, high school, and college prepare for careers in business,” 

     This year, the group has grown in size, from three students last year to 15. This was due to marketing and more people learning about the club. People learning more about FBLA will help the club continue to grow.

  “It got marketed better.
I feel like a lot more people know about it this year. I only learned about it in my junior year, and then I joined in my senior year,” Taylor said.

   Helping students since Feb. 3, 1942. Learning critical thinking, communicating, leading and being exposed to fast-paced environments. FBLA focuses on developing business skills and leadership to benefit future careers.

    “Right now, we’re focusing on Districts, and we’re doing broadcast journalism, so we’re covering it like a news story. My partner and I pretend to be news anchors, and then we perform at districts for about 10 minutes in front of judges,” senior Ainsley Boldt said.

   Members can participate in competitions, marketing, entrepreneurship and journalism. Which helps them discover what they’re passionate about. In competitions, they can win cash prizes, scholarships and national recognition.

   “There are over 100 options. So I feel like being committed to what you want to do is really important,” Taylor said.

   As stated, students can pick from over 100 topics to present on, including simple business tactics such as accounting, advertising, banking and economic affairs, data analysis and graphic design. There are also options on skills you could use in everyday life, ranging from public speaking, social media strategies, financial planning and event planning. 

   “I’ve learned a lot about how to market myself in a market value, and I’ve learned how to be comfortable in front of a camera,” Boldt said.

    While students are currently working on Districts, they use all the skills and what they have learned to present and be recognized for and this can help with future jobs and opportunities by providing lots of real-world experience. The judges and sponsors want the participants to understand risk-taking and problem solving.

   “I’ve only been in it for a year, but we’ve experienced lots of hardships because right now we’re going to districts, and we had to get to districts first, so we had to do a lot of work outside of school, like making our videos and everything,” Taylor said.

   FBLA has helped members gain confidence in front of a crowd, cameras and be in the real world. If you want to learn more, go to lhs.lps.org or go to @bluejay_fbla on Instagram.

   “There’s a lot you gain from it, definitely business and leadership skills, but also friendships. It’s helped me connect with people,” Taylor said.