“Success starts here” is the Future Business Leaders of America’s (FBLA) motto. Twelve Northern High School students attended the FBLA National Leadership Conference (NLC) in Chicago, Illinois, held on June 28-July 2, 2022. They earned six top ten finishes in competitive events, competing with more than 12,000 students from all over the United States.
Finalists in each competitive event who placed in the top ten were recognized during awards presentations held at the end of the conference:
- Jasmine Simpson (6th place, Introduction to Business Concepts)
- Leo Brower (4th place, Business Communications)
- Abigail Spence (1st place, Agribusiness)
- Mao Yu Cheng (10th place, Introduction to Information Technology)
- Steven Vilcheck (4th place, Marketing)
- · Mao Yu Cheng, Leo Brower, and Sarah Hurley (6th place, American Enterprise Project).
Aside from the recognition of finishing in the top ten, Spence, a 2022 graduate, became the first Northern High School student in the school’s history to win first place in a written competitive event and only the second student in school history to earn first place recognition in any event. She encourages other students to pick up where she leaves off and consider joining FBLA to have an opportunity to experience the event in the future. “Being in FBLA and having the opportunity to compete nationally was incredible, and I would recommend any other high school student to give FBLA a try! Who knows, you might find yourself taking home a first-place trophy!”
In the American Enterprise Project competition, a team event, Northern High School’s “Project Y.E.S.” (Youth Entrepreneurship Society) focused on teaching students at Windy Hill Middle School how to become entrepreneurs through afterschool meetings and a culminating Shark Tank competition. Students presented artifacts and details about their work to a panel of judges at the NLC to earn sixth place honors. Enterprise project team member, Leo Brower, said of his experience, “I learned that I am more capable than I thought. I would have never expected to place at nationals for any event because the environment is very competitive.”
Nancy Wilt-Tassa, FBLA advisor and Business Education teacher at Northern High School and Maryland’s Outstanding FBLA Advisor of the Year, was extremely proud of the students’ achievements at this year’s events. She shared, “To have a year like this is something I will always remember. I will also remember the character, support, caring for each other, and morals our fine young students from Northern High School displayed during this six-day trip. This was an exceptional group, an exceptional year, and an extraordinary conference.”
The following students participated in this year’s FBLA National Leadership Conference:
- Aamaly Hossain (Senior): Community Service Project and Electronic Career Portfolio
- Abigail Spence (Senior): Partnership with Business Project and Agribusiness
- Cate Hall (Junior): Partnership with Business Project
- Dylan Kinner (Freshman): Introduction to Business Communication
- Gentry Bowie (Freshman): Community Service Project
- Jasmine Simpson (Sophomore): Introduction to Business Concepts
- Laila Mitchell (Sophomore): Partnership Business Project and Introduction to Social Media Strategy
- Leo Brower (Senior): American Enterprise Project and Business Communication
- Mao Yu Cheng (Sophomore): American Enterprise Project and Introduction to Information Technology
- Olivia Herrin (Freshman): Introduction to Public Speaking and Community Service Project
- Sarah Hurley (Sophomore): American Enterprise Project
- Steven Vilcheck (Sophomore): Marketing
FBLA is a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) that is open to students pursuing Business Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and to any students interested in learning more about various topics relating to business and entrepreneurship. Northern and Huntingtown High Schools and Plum Point Middle School have FBLA chapter organizations.