Introduction
On Thursday, April 11th, 2024, Mira Loma’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) team departed for the annual FBLA State Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California. Many members of the team qualified to compete at this state conference after the regional FBLA Northern Section Leadership Conference held at Wheatland Union High School back in February.
What is FBLA?
FBLA is an organization with over 200,000 members that helps prepare students to become business leaders (“About FBLA”). Many members also believe it gives them a strong foundation for finance and leadership-based careers through the competitive events that the organization hosts. Sophomore Daksh Mamnani shares, “FBLA isn’t just an organization. It’s a launch pad for future leaders, where passion meets purpose, and ambition finds its voice.”
Every year, regions from individual states compete to qualify for the next stage of the competition, FBLA states. At the state competition, those who qualified at regionals compete to qualify for nationals. This year, our school had several outstanding members who were able to qualify for nationals in their events.
The Competition
The first day of competition was packed with a full schedule, including air travel, review of competition material during the plane ride, and competitive events. After arriving at the Long Beach Airport at around 1:30 PM, the team took shuttles to the nearby Hilton Anaheim hotel, where the event was being hosted. Upon arrival, some members of Mira Loma FBLA began last-minute preparations for their events that would take place at 4:00 PM. Then, with their first round of objective tests behind them, team members took some time to relax in their hotel rooms before delving into some final study for the following day’s competitive events.
After a less chaotic morning, objective testing sessions the next day took place at 1:15 PM and 2:15 PM. Team members then had a chance to explore the local area in groups. On the following day, after the testing was complete and the prejudged and presentation events were finished, the awards ceremony was held at 6:00 PM. Despite substantial competition with students from many other schools from across the entire state, many Mira Loma members were able to place in their respective events. Here were the results:
Agribusiness:
- Kye Phan (3)
Banking & Financial Systems:
- Aditya Anantaraman, Leo Guo (3)
Business Calculations:
- Kian Rahimi (6)
Business Law:
- Kian Rahimi (8)
Computer Problem Solving:
- Chunyee Shu (10)
Digital Video Production:
- Benjamin Loeffler, Srimadhav Malavathu, Daksh Mamnani (4)
Healthcare Administration:
- Nicole Hou (4)
Human Resource Management:
- Steven Yip (1)
Impromptu Speaking:
- Nicole Hou (2)
Insurance and Risk Management:
- Marcel Tuceacov (5)
- Sarah Kneeland (7)
Introduction to Financial Math:
- Nicholas Munkhbaatar (3)
Introduction to Information Technology:
- Eric Harder (4)
Introduction to Marketing Concepts:
- Pratha Kamble (2)
Marketing:
- Joy Jang, Shrey Gautam (7)
Networking Infrastructures:
- Xin Wu (6)
Organizational Leadership:
- Justin Pham (4)
- Aasiyah Nuh (10)
Personal Finance:
- Arnav Mahendra (6)
Securities & Investments:
- Arnav Mahendra (5)
Congratulations to those who placed!
After
In addition to going to Anaheim to compete in the state leadership conference, Mira Loma’s FBLA team also went to Disneyland after the competition was over! With the goal to maximize the experience there, the team was at Disneyland from the time it opened at 8:00 AM to the time the firework show ended at 10:00 PM. Some of the favorite rides include Hyperspace Mountain, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The team had a blast while at Disneyland and also enjoyed shopping at Downtown Disney. It was the perfect opportunity to unwind after much hard work and competition.
Arnav Mahendra, a Mira Loma junior, adds, “My favorite part of the trip was going to Disneyland, specifically the Hyperspace Mountain ride. We also met Australian students on holiday, which was a unique experience.”
References
“About FBLA.” FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America, https://www.fbla.org/about-fbla-pbl/.
Accessed 17 April 2024.
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