On Jan. 28, the lengthy semester of preparation for FBLA competitive events came to an end but ultimately paid off for Gables members. Students participating in over 50 competitions had the opportunity to move forward to the State Level by placing first, second, third or fourth place in their respective event. Gables is proud to have over 50 students eligible for the State Leadership Conference in Orlando!

The awards began with speeches from several eager candidates looking forward to running for district office. From Gables, three juniors ran for office: Joseph Villafañe for District Reporter, Micaela Merlos for District Secretary and Barbara Jimenez for District Vice President. After the candidates delivered their speeches, the schools in the district voted, and the result showed Merlos and Villafañe as winners in their respective positions. The schools were then allowed to send a student for the talent show to showcase the multitude of abilities FBLA members demonstrate.

“My first time being part of FBLA, I realized that the club is very serious and the award ceremony was a lot of fun and there’s a lot if pride in what the club has accomplished and it made me want to compete next year and even become more involved in the club,” junior Lily Obando said.

Later, the moment that everyone was awaiting finally arrived: the award ceremony. The hard work many of the members invested into their events and projects showed fruition as the Gables charter received 11 first place winners, 15 second place winners, seven third place winners and four fourth place winners (including teams and individual events).

“I think the award ceremony was an overall good experience for all the members to interact with one another and get a feeling for the competitive side of FBLA. there was support for one another and it in the end paid off for the hard work,” junior Marisel Lavizzari said.

The next step for these teams and individuals will be the State Leadership Conference (SLC) in March. There they will have the opportunity to compete against students from all over the state of Florida for a chance to possibly compete at the National Level! The SLC will have workshops and assemblies to teach and instill business lessons on the members, as well as encourage networking on all parts of the state.