From April 6 to 9, Stroudsburg Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) attended the State Leadership Conference (SLC) in Hersey, Pennsylvania. This year, Stroudsburg brought 70 students to compete at the state level, with the hopes of advancing to Nationals.
FBLA members attended various workshops in between competing. These workshops are designed to allow students to learn more about leadership and business, as well as network with other committed students and workshop leaders. The workshops are taught and led by a variety of different individuals from a range of careers such as nurses, project managers, CEOs, marketing managers, and more!
In addition to the workshops, the students spent Monday taking the opportunity to watch their fellow members compete in their presentation events. Students who were competing in testing events were provided with a specific time to take the next level of their exam.
The General Session that was held on Monday focused on the success PA FBLA has had with this year’s state charity, the American Red Cross. The session acted as an award ceremony for chapter and individual awards. As a whole, the state of Pennsylvania raised a grand total of $42,447.11 for the state charity.
Stroudsburg’s chapter, as well as some of its members, received awards from PA FBLA. The chapter received the following awards:
- First with $3,642.69 for the amount of money raised for the state charity (American Red Cross)
- Third for volunteer hours submitted to the Big 33 program
- Fourth with 197 for the Largest Local Chapter Membership Award
- Fifth for the William Selden Outstanding Chapter Award
Additionally, multiple members received individual recognition and/or awards from PA FBLA. Leyla Yilmaz, ‘26, placed fourth in the state for her number of volunteer hours. The Keystone Leadership Award recognizes successful members for their continued involvement and dedication to the various opportunities provided by FBLA. This award was earned by seniors, Jessica Haggerty, Alisabeth Guepet, and Rebecca Dishong.
“It felt amazing seeing all of our hard work recognized at the State level,” states Leyla Yilmaz, ‘26. “To watch not just myself, but my fellow members succeed and get the recognition they deserve, it was really fulfilling.”
The Who’s Who in PA FBLA award is presented to the top ten senior applicants. Each applicant is required to have completed the first level of the Business Achievement Award, which are programs that teach students soft skills and how to be a leader. Each FBLA chapter was allowed to submit three applicants to the program; all of Stroudsburg applicants placed in the top 10 for this award. The applicants placed as follows: Guepet placed eighth, Haggerty placed ninth, and Awuah placed tenth.
Finally, three Stroudsburg students were awarded the William Selden Scholarship, receiving a total of $1,000. This scholarship is received by Guepet, Haggerty, and Awuah.
On Tuesday, Stroudsburg members continued to attend workshops and presenters who progressed to the next round, competed for the second time. The general session that night was an award ceremony, where members would find out who will continue to Nationals!
Stroudsburg members placed as follows:
First:
- Digital Animation: Zoey Charles, ’27, Jacob Patchner, ’27, and Nichole Ogwu, ’27.
Second:
- Economics- Giancarlo Shakai, ’26.
Fourth:
- Local Chapter Annual Business Report- Jessica Haggerty, ’25, William Awuah, ’25, and Alisabeth Guepet, ’25.
Fifth:
- Social Media Strategies- Tess Nowasad, ’26 and Kara Schomberg, ’26.
- Healthcare Administration- Zaynah Wade, ’27.
- Introduction to Business Procedures- Sasha Castle, ’27.
Sixth:
- Introduction to FBLA- Alexandra Zambri, ’27.
- Introduction to Programming- Chudi Ogbolu, ’27.
Seventh:
- Business Plan- Keira King, ’25 and Shylah Morrison, ’25.
Ninth:
- Digital Animation- Eshaal Soail, ’27.
Tenth:
- Future Business Educator- Rebecca Dishong, ’25.
- Graphic Design- Kaiden Hein, ’25, Julianna Vo, ’25, and Ann Alekseyev, ’25.
- Organizational Leadership- Iris Heter, ’26.
- Word Processing- Jaden Harper, ’25.
Members who placed fourth and higher will automatically progress to the Nationals! Members from fifth to tenth could be bumped up, depending on if qualifiers from other schools are not able to attend the conference.
“We are incredibly proud of all the members who attended the State Leadership Conference,” expresses Ms. Jodie Haggerty, FBLA adviser and business teacher at Stroudsburg. “We are especially excited for our top ten finalists and national qualifiers, and we’re thrilled that they have the opportunity to advance to the next level of competition.”
The National Leadership Conference (NLC) will be held from June 29 to July 2. This year, our members will travel to Anaheim, California, where they will have the opportunity to tour popular sites and meet fellow FBLA members from across the country.
Good luck to all of our members and congratulations on another successful year!
