Members of the Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter attended the organization’s State Leadership Conference (SLC) held at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City from March 11 to 13.
This three-day conference featured various workshops, campaigns and competition events in between an opening and closing ceremony.
On the first day, hundreds of participants from over 40 schools arrived at the resort with the only scheduled event being the opening ceremony. Presentation-based competitive events took place with numerous categories ranging from business plans to marketing strategies to computer programming, among others. Students who qualified in the initial rounds exhibited their proficiency in the finals.
Meanwhile, those participating in non-presentation events had already taken the state-level test prior to the conference. Students were given the opportunity to attend various workshops teaching skills of organization, time management, leadership and entrepreneurship through talks and presentations.
Campaign booths were set up by candidates running to be state officers. The contested positions included president, regional vice presidents, webmaster, historian and parliamentarian. In the time between events, the organizers had arranged for a recreational room with karaoke, ping pong and video games like Just Dance. Students could also grab a bite at the many restaurants and cafés of the resort.
On the last day, the closing awards ceremony was hosted. The top competitors in each category were revealed and awarded with medals, with the top four advancing to the national conference and receiving trophies. The state officers for next year were also inducted by the previous officer board.
In between these moments, attendees enjoyed lunches and desserts served in the middle of the day. Spare moments were filled with camaraderie and fun, forging both lasting memories and new connections. The New Jersey FBLA State Conference not only celebrated achievement but also highlighted collaboration, growth and community within the organization.
The event will be fondly remembered by these Bridgewater-Raritan High School students.
Freshman Vikrant Khanvilkar recounted his experiences at the event.
“FBLA States was a fun event where I got to see cool things. Competing with kids all over New Jersey was also cool. Overall, FBLA States was great, and I’ll certainly be doing it again next year,” he said.
Freshman Anvay Ajmera, who advanced to the national level, reflected on his progression.
“Giving a presentation seemed incredibly scary, but once I did it, I knew it was my chance to display everything I had practiced. Getting 2nd place in FBLA States felt extremely rewarding. Hopefully, I can continue my streak in the FBLA Nationals,” he said.
Finally, junior Rebecca Xiang, who also advanced to the national level as part of a three-person presentation team, addressed the socialization opportunities.
“[I] loved collaborating with my group to do our presentation, and I enjoyed the chance to meet many other like-minded people. There were many facilities to make new friends,” she said.
The following Bridgewater-Raritan High School FBLA members placed in the top 10 at the conference:
Crystal Chen, Catrin Bowen, Sharon Lin, Saanvi Goel, Nikita Kumar, Rebecca Xiang, Aaryan Arvind, Ronychang Liu, Ruhee Jagtap, Vikrant Khanvilkar, Ethan Wang, Ayushmaan Mukherjee, Abhijay Edavalapati, Pranav Karra, Rishikesh Ravi, Athul Anand, Atharva Makode, Sameer Tijare, Shaurya Jain, Vanshika Yadav, Prisha Bagul, Nakul Rao, Vraj Shah, Vedaang Verma, Natalie Chen, Manas Gumedelli, Vrishank Madishetty, Navneet Kalatheeswaran, Victoria Wang, Anvay Ajmera, Aritra Banerjee, Alyssa Xu, Ruby Sethi, Amulya Bisaria, Sriridhi Pothu, Anish Parikh, Andrei Cojocariu, Varsha Chirra and Alice Jiang.
The Bridgewater-Raritan FBLA chapter had its highest-ever attendance at this year’s SLC with many students winning awards. The next level of the competition at the National Leadership Conference (NLC) will be held this year in Orlando, Florida from June 29 to July 2, with many Bridgewater-Raritan students attending.
The high school FBLA plans to expand its operations by attending more events and providing its members with even more opportunities in the future. The club is also sponsoring a Comedy Night on Friday, May 10 at 8 p.m. to help fund the FBLA trip to the National Leadership Conference. Tickets for the event will be sold during lunch two weeks prior to the event.
