Leadership and community

While not known to everyone, The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is a noteworthy club. FBLA is the largest CTE organization in the world. This club is sponsored by Ms. Fikel’s and the student President Madeline Chen. The club’s members meet about every Wednesday in Ms. Fikel’s classroom.
The club’s purpose is to prepare members for a successful career in business. Because the FBLA has a purpose, they must find ways to achieve it. The club’s purpose is to prep members for a successful business career; this year the FBLA is organizing business workshops and volunteer projects. Their workshop has teamed up with the William and Mary (W&M) Entrepreneurship Hub. The main topic for this is ideation: creating ideas. The students will identify opportunities and brainstorm business ideas. Chen notes that this will help develop a student’s innovative thinking and initiative, two important skills for the business world. Although the workshop is running, the volunteer project is still in progress. With their volunteer project they hope to establish a program that provides healthy snacks for food insecure athletes. Students who participate in this program will allow them to focus and act on the needs of others. Madeline states that this is an essential skill when it comes to the modern business world that values environmental, social and governance factors.
FBLA offers firsthand experience, lets one improve the community, allows students to learn about the business world and make a better future. Madeline’s advice to people who want to join the FBLA would be for them to speak up. The executive board is always open to ideas that come from members. Chen Said, “There are no requirements to join because the FBLA wants a diverse set of members who contribute new ideas and unique skills to the club.”
Madeline wanted to form the FBLA to give herself and her peers opportunities to gain business and leadership skills through experience. She thinks that while classroom learning is a great start, to fully understand concepts that the school curriculum teaches, they must apply these skills to real life. Madeline’s advice to anyone in the FBLA or collaborating with club is patience. Madeline listed Mr. Sorrell, Mrs. Newcomb, Ms. Fikel, Mrs. Mandart, and the W&M Entrepreneurship Hub as the people she is grateful to for helping them out on their journey. The FBLA is a new club and is still trying to accommodate, function, and grow to the needs of its members.