Words: Shawn Kruhm

On January 19, the Future Business Leaders of America Club (FBLA) at Centennial competed in the Regionals Skills Competition. Four Centennial students placed first, four placed second, and 10 are advancing to the State Leadership Conference.

The FBLA is a club in which students compete in various events and attend workshops and field trips to strengthen their skills.

Students participate in conferences of all levels, challenging others in over 60 events. Competitive events include tests taken prior to the conference as well as live performances judged at the conference.

Kenneth Xue, Ryan Yu, Edward Du, Talia Andrews, Abhiram Metuku, Anudeep Metuku, Ashwin Iyer, Ana Cunningham, Anika Huang, and Kiran Vepa all qualified for the State Conference in Portland, Oregon, which will take place April 4-6.

If students perform well enough in the state competition, they will be invited to attend the National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas from June 29 to July 2.

Ashwin Iyer was one of the few students that placed first in their event. Leading up to the test, he attended several workshops as he trained for his first regional competition.

“For those of us who have written an objective test, we attend workshops given by a large variety of business professionals,” said Iyer. “One of the most interesting workshops this year was given by the Secret Service.”

Iyer attended the regional competition to support his fellow teammates and listen to the results of the test.

As a whole, the team performed exceptionally well. Students of all different ages and skills placed higher than expected.

“I did not think I would get first place, especially in such a competitive category with many competitors,” said Iyer. “Upon hearing that I had indeed won first place, I was overjoyed.”

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