On Wednesday, Jan. 7, WAHS had the privilege of sending 13 students to the regional FBLA competition at Penn College. Out of those 13 students, 7 advanced to the State competition at the Hershey Lodge that is set for April 13-15.

Some students might not know a lot about FBLA or what’s involved in the competitions. The Billtown Banner was lucky enough to catch up with club adviser, Mr. Gordner, to discuss their recent success. 

Mr. Gordner explained that FBLA stands for Future Business Leaders of America, and it’s the largest student business organization, meant to give kids an opportunity to grow as leaders and understand the concepts of the business world.  

In the recent Regional Leadership Competition, students can choose events to compete in, whether that be accounting, healthcare, sports, entertainment, and many other categories. They compete either through a test with anonymous scoring or through a performance the day of. Students who were in the testing portion have the the opportunity to attend various leadership conferences throughout the day, giving them an even more authentic feel of the concept of business. 

The top six in the testing events advance to States, and the top three advance from the performance category. Williamsport alone had 7 students advance to States in April, a very impressive feat to say the least. The students and their respective categories were: Tyrin Sabb-Wilson and Kenyon Harden (Advanced Accounting), Nayomi Jackson (Healthcare Administration), Kosi Nwadukwe (Sports and Entertainment Management), and the group of Cali Reed, Peyton Kelley, and Emma Vollman (Hospitality and Event Management).

Be sure to congratulate all of our regional FBLA competitors on their success, as well as wishing luck to those moving on!