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FBLA visits TCU By Julie Ann Matonis Instead of sleeping in on Saturday morning, Joy Clark was nervously preparing for an interview with an important corporation. The Azle High School junior wore a green letterman jacket, a black dress with fringe and black sandals that did not conceal her toe ring. It was not typical business attire, but Clark was not attending a typical interview. “I’m applying to a fictional company,” Clark said. “I made up a job position and prepared a resume. Now I need to be believable.” Clark and other high school and middle school students from the greater Fort Worth area came to TCU Saturday for the District 11 Future Business Leaders of America conference.Usually Dan Rogers Hall accommodates TCU students, but on Saturday the building was the meeting place for the young FBLA members. Students competed in about 36 events, including job interviewing, accounting and parliamentary procedure, North Side High School advisor Alice Arredondo said. Plaques were awarded for first through fifth place in each category with winners advancing to the state competition next month in Dallas.The 346 FBLA members also attended workshops conducted by business professionals.
Keynote speaker David Minor, director of the James A. Ryffel Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, told the FBLA members that they need to get on the journey of continuous improvement. “The path to success is somewhat of a bumpy one,” Minor said. “But I’m convinced that if you choose the right path and focus on the right things, then everyone can become the one they dream they can be.” Arredondo said the FBLA has a lot to offer students who are in need of self-confidence and a competitive edge. “The FBLA helps reinforce what is learned in the classroom,” Arredondo said. “Sometimes it means more to students when they learn from people other than teachers.” TCU student leaders did their part to help cultivate the leadership skills of FBLA members. Four TCU students from Student Development Services presented a workshop titled “True Colors” to a group of more than 50 FBLA members. Danny Mogolov, a junior religion and economics major, said he thought the group took a poignant message away with them. “The groups act exactly like you would expect them to because of their personality types,” Mogolov said. “The strengths they have with their leadership styles can help them in any group project inside and outside academic life.” The FBLA national organization has over 250,000 members and chapters across the United States and overseas, Arredondo said. Saturday was Clark’s first competition as an FBLA member, but she impressed the judges in her fictional job interview as she was awarded a first-place plaque. She may not have a position with a Fortune 500 company, but she is on her way to the state FBLA competition. Julie Ann Matonis
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