They all stood in Mr. Padilla’s classroom, each FBLA club member, anxious to discover their district competition results. This had been a long road to this moment. Weeks of preparation and constant studying. Now, all they could do was wait. For most, this wasn’t about rankings or awards but culmination, or more like a realization of how far they’ve come since joining the club. The slow minutes dragged by, anticipation mounted, and the room bubbled with excitement to celebrate whatever the future had in store.
The results for FBLA’s 2024 District level competitions were impressive. Out of the 32 competitors, 20 qualified for the State Leadership Conference on March 15-18, a 62% success ratio! Those state qualifiers were:
Jancarlos Alvarado – Accounting 1 – 1st Place in District
Victoria Bravo – Hospitality and Event Management – 1st Place in District
Alexander Orellana-Bert – Accounting II – 1st Place in District
Kevin Pereira – Spreadsheet Applications – 1st Place in District
Tiffany Rodriguez – Advertising – 1st Place in District
Alejandro Baltar – Economics – 2nd Place in District
Isabel Cardella – Organizational Leadership – 2nd Place in District
Christopher Pavon-Amaya – Spreadsheet Applications – 2nd Place in District
Rocio Pelaez – Public Policy and Advocacy – 2nd Place in District
Angelica Pulicari – Introduction to Social Media Strategy – 2nd Place in District
Alex Chao – Business Communications – 3rd Place in District
Arturo Moya – Accounting I – 3rd Place in District
Giovani Figueroa – Accounting II – 3rd Place in District
Samantha Gonzalez – Organizational Leadership – 3rd Place in District
Maximus Moranvalle – Impromptu Speaking – 3rd Place in District
Madelyn Mendoza – Public Speaking – 3rd Place in District
Justin Cruz – Introduction to Business Concepts – 4th Place in District
Vanessa Gonzalez – Journalism – 4th Place in District
Danny Lopez – Cybersecurity – 4th Place in District
Steven Narvaez – Advertising – 5th Place in District
What is “FBLA?”
According to the Future Business Leaders of America’s (FBLA) club entry, from the official Miami Senior High website, “FBLA” is the largest student business organization in the world. Being a part of FBLA means that you can compete in a wide variety of subjects, such as Cybersecurity, Political Science, Economics, Public Speaking, and more.
The club is labeled as an Interest Club. To join, you’ll need a minimum GPA of 2.00 unweighted. Last school year, 32 members competed at the district level while sixteen members qualified for the State Leadership Conference. Five members placed first in the district level.
Of the 16 state qualifiers that took their trip to Orlando to qualify for Nationals, one FBLA member qualified for Nationals in Spreadsheet Applications, that being Kevin Pereira.
Preparation for the Big Day
FBLA club member junior Angelica Pulicari, who competed in Social Media Strategy at the district level, said, “When I competed, it was presentation based so there wasn’t really any books or resources to study. But the awesome thing about FBLA is how expansive it is. I was able to find other people’s presentations and improve upon their mistakes.” Fortunately, these methods got her to an amazing second in district.
Former FBLA club president and now a college freshman, Jancarlos Alvarado, competed in Accounting 1 at the district level and placed 1st. He said, “I simply used the resources the advisor, Mr. Padilla and the accounting teacher, Ms. Benavides, had given to me. I also used Quizlet, as it helped to learn everything well. I felt more than proud to have set a proper example for my newer members to follow.”
Mr. Padilla said, “I provide a variety of resources, textbooks, Khan Academy, GMetrix, LearnKey, and when it comes to spreadsheets, old practice exams and Quizlet. Quizziz is big, YouTube too, believe it or not.”
How do the FBLA Competitions work?
According to the FBLA.org website, “Competitions are separated into six different events. Students can participate in Chapter Events, Objective Events, Presentation Events, Production Events, Role-Play Events, and 9th and 10th grade-locked events.” Depending on your event, you could be participating in an objective test, which requires a student to physically sit at one of the FBLA testing stations, usually in the club room or taking the test online. Another type of competition revolves around presentations, which requires the student to physically be in a location where judges will grade their performance.
The Aftermath
After a couple of weeks of hard work and testing, students are invited to the annual FBLA Awards Ceremony. During the ceremony, the placements within the district are revealed. Top four placements will be awarded with a medal and a trip to state.\
