Do you want to be prepared for careers in business and use your knowledge in competitions? Milton High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club organizes competitions that engage members and prepares them for success in whatever career path they pursue.
According to FBLA Adviser Ms. Jamie Emery-Seibert, the club provides opportunities for academic achievement, as well as improving leadership and public speaking skills. Members can network, attend workshops based on their competitive event and listen to inspirational speeches given by business leaders with genuine experience, she added.
Members enroll in competitions on the state’s FBLA website (pafbla.org), said Ms. Emery-Seibert. All members are eligible to compete against local schools, she added.
To compete in States, students must place at Regionals and from there, can qualify to compete in Nationals with students around the world, Ms. Emery-Seibert explained. The chances of advancing sometimes depends on the event, she said, adding that there are over 70 competitions and some involve members working together, she said.
Some events involve students taking a 100-question objective quiz. Others perform demonstrative tasks based on their event in front of judges, said Ms. Emery-Seibert, who has been involved with FBLA for 12 years. One example of a competition involved figuring out how to open a puzzle and explaining the process, said Ms. Emery-Seibert.
According to Ms. Emery-Seibert, after FBLA members graduate, they can apply to get scholarships in their field from well-known universities, colleges and other educational programs. During graduation, members of FBLA who have done outstanding work are recognized through awards, such as the FBLA Business Award, she added.
“Being a member of FBLA … doesn’t have to be an overwhelming commitment like some of the other clubs are. They can take out of FBLA as much as they want to take out of FBLA, and give as much to FBLA as they want to give,” said Ms. Emery-Seibert. She added that members can prepare for events as much as they want, depending on what event they choose.
According to Ms. Emery-Seibert, one of FBLA’s greatest opportunities in the past included a field trip to Washington, D.C., where attendees were taught about business and management. Since COVID-19, FBLA has struggled to reboot the tradition, she said. There was an attempt to have the field trip to Washington D.C. this year, but it was unable to happen due to scheduling issues, she added.
A highlight from this year included students going into a State competition, which requires more preparation and planning than a regular event, said Ms. Emery-Seibert.
“(FBLA) is a great way for students to be involved with something competitive. It provides opportunities to go on different field trips and is a terrific resume and college application booster,” said FBLA Co-Adviser Mr. Michael O’Connor, who has been involved for about two years.
There are currently 21 members in FBLA, said Ms. Emery Seibert. To be in FBLA, students must be recommended by a teacher, then invited by an FBLA adviser, she added.
According to Ms. Emery-Seibert, many club members could not go to public competitions since COVID-19. Additionally, many members graduated recently, forcing FBLA to recruit new members, which was difficult while everything was online, she added.
FBLA is always accepting new members, said Ms. Emery-Seibert. To join FBLA, members must pay the annual enrollment fee of $25 when FBLA starts, she said. The fee will then be used to pay for registration and all competitions, she added.
Some Milton FBLA alumni that have qualified for Nationals include Alumni Shea Williams in Business Communications; Dominic Savidge, Matthew Kurtz and Eric Baker in Global Business; Brelynn McCarty, Journalism; and Arianne Raymond, Business Plan.
