After countless hours of preparation, members of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) placed at the district level at the annual State Leadership Conference (SLC) held in Orlando, Florida. SLC takes place every year on March 23-26 and is held at the Hilton Orlando Hotel. Throughout the conference: business seminars, elections for the organization’s state officers, and award ceremonies rewarding schools with large memberships and distinguishable projects were held.  A total of thirty-three students were able to compete against dignitary opponents from the top schools in the state Florida. The trip spanned over four days and consisted of objective tests, group performances and hours of fun amongst the Cavaliers.

“Planning states this year was definitely a struggle compared to last year. There were fewer people going, and there were more details with payment and reservations that had to be changed constantly. It ended up being an amazing experience, and as president I’m extremely proud of how we did. We had about 12 competitors place for nationals, which is more than a third of how many people went. Now, we’re ready for nationals,” senior Maria Ordonez said

After a four-hour drive from Miami to Orlando, the Parliamentary Procedure team faced their extensive multiple-choice, hoping that their scores would allow them to make it past preliminaries. Along with the Parliamentary Procedure team, Network Design, Marketing, Journalism, Health Care Administration, Management Information Systems, Sales Presentation, Public Speaking I, FBLA Principles & Procedures and Introduction to Business Math, all competed. In each presentation room, there were judges and viewers from different schools-all from the Sunshine State. The organization’s goal is to polish business leaders and instill leadership qualities that will stay with them forever.

In the midst of competitions, elections for a few district and state officers are also held during the State Leadership Conference. Campaigning for state officer candidates all began after the opening ceremony where officers present their speeches. This year, schools like Coral Reef Senior High and Miami Sunset Senior High all had a state officer candidate. All of the candidates are announced during the closing ceremony after awards. Gables belongs to District XXV and this year, two candidates were elected-the Secretary and Vice-President positions are now held by Gables students. The Gables FBLA chapter is looking forward to their elected candidate’s future endeavors and hopes to represent the school well at Nationals in Anaheim, California this upcoming June.

“While I already had knowledge of health insurance because of last year’s competition I mostly studied medical terms and such to prepare; placing third in my competition was incredible! I was overjoyed to not only have placed, but also to have qualified for the national Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California. This summer I will have the opportunity to not only represent my chapter, but Florida as a whole,” junior Yanik Ariste said

FBLA is honored to have the opportunity to represent Gables statewide and expect to continue their success in Anaheim this coming summer. Don’t forget to congratulate the FBLA competitors when you pass them in the hallways!