The FBLA is a new club here at Lakota West. It meets on in Mr. Rice’s room.
FBLA, or the Future Business Leaders of America, is the largest business and technical student organization in the world. This club exists to help students thrive when it comes to areas of finance and business, and it encourages them to be “community-minded business leaders” through offering relevant career preparation and leadership opportunities through their organization.
The club reaches these goals of creating a space for future business leaders to strive for greatness through events like public speaking, fundraisers, and competitions. Aliya Merchant, a club member of FBLA, speaks on the attributes that make someone suited for this particular club. She states that FBLA members are, “motivated individuals who want to learn more about the business world and improve on their speaking skills.”
Currently, the FBLA has not started a fundraiser to promote their club, (although they plan to do so in the future), but they are involved on April 23 in an entrepreneurship competition. Aliya summarized the competition: “At the beginning [of the competition day], we are given a prompt, and then basically we have to create a product based on that prompt. We also have to create a business plan, a video, and a 3-D model of the product…all within twelve hours.”
When asked about why people should join her club, Merchant commented that the FBLA is a good way to learn more about the business world, college readiness, and connect with other professionals. She states that as a person looking to go into finance or business management, building connections is a big part of it!
If you feel this club is for you, Merchant says, you can join at whatever time, although when asked about future plans to increase membership she stated, “ I plan to start a recruitment process at the beginning of next year.” Upcoming sophomores and upperclassmen who want to join in on the opportunity to strengthen their character and soft skills can look forward to next year’s FBLA club. For any further questions, please contact Merchant herself at [email protected] for more information.
Learn more on FBLA:
