WHITE SALMON — Twenty-nine members of Columbia High School’s Future Business Leaders of America chapter boarded a bus and headed for Spokane to compete in the 2023 State Business Leadership Conference April 19.
This year’s conference was exceptional for many reasons, but the biggest was the sheer number of students who qualified. Back in February, chapter members attended and competed in the Regional Leadership Conference, and of those members, 29 qualified for the state conference. Those who competed may have created and presented a social media marketing campaign to a panel of judges, participated in a mock job interview, or, in my case, took a virtual test on knowledge of the journalism industry.
Our Columbia High School FBLA chapter found great success at the state conference. The Social Media Strategies team of Luke Harrison and Camden Uffleman received eighth place in their team-based event. Anna Zendt and Garrett Kock both competed in the Client Service event, where Zendt took 10th place, and Kock was named state champion. Garrett Kock also found great success in another event, Spreadsheet Applications, where he won a 4th place title. Wren Greeley-Havard placed fifth in the Hospital Administration event, Lila Witherrite took home third place in Client Service, and Maddie Ayer earned a spot in second place for Introduction to Business Communication. As for me, I found myself winning the fourth place title for Journalism.
The students who placed in the top four at the state level also earned themselves a spot at the national competition, which will be held this summer in Atlanta, Georgia. Although all Columbia students in attendance received an award, the camaraderie was enough for everyone. When those of us who received awards were announced and sent to the stage, the rest of the chapter could be found cheering proudly from their seats, led by the enthusiastic Chapter President, Moses Henning.
As someone who has been involved with the FBLA program for all four years of high school, Henning felt a great sense of pride for his fellow chapter members, saying how proud he was of everyone, whether or not they placed. Being apart of the Columbia High School FBLA chapter has been one of the highlights of my high school career. It has allowed me to learn more about my future career opportunities, while also giving me the chance to connect with my peers in a different setting. I am extremely grateful for the time I have spent in FBLA and the experiences it has given me.
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