Stroudsburg’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club begins its 2025-2026 school year with a new team of advisors and officers.
The former advisors, Jodie Haggerty and Stacey Stephani, both had their personal reasons for leaving the club. Haggerty made the hard decision to step down as an officer to be more available to her children at college, and Stephani wanted more time to pursue further education.
These decisions allowed the brave new advisors, Sandra Striba and Ashlee Grennin, to step up to the spotlight. Striba and Grennin will be the advisors at the Stroudsburg High School (SHS), and because Haggerty still wanted to be somewhat involved, she will be the advisor for the Stroudsburg Junior High School (SJHS).
Stirba commented, “It’s a new endeavor, and I’m trying to make it the best possible and work with all the students in the club. I look forward to going to states and nationals with them and seeing all their accomplishments. I know that many people who went to states and nationals last year are looking forward to going again this year.
Along with the new advisors, there are also 12 new officers:
- President: Tess Nowasad
- Sr. Vice President of Membership and Recruitment: Kara Schomberg
- Sr. Vice President of Events and Competitions: Leyla Yilmaz
- Jr. Vice President: Jacob Pachter
- Secretary: Aryanna Vidaic
- Treasurer: Zoey Charles
- Reporter: Jack Ozkul
- Historian: Nichole Ogwu
- Chairperson of Business Partnerships: Abby Hevener
- Chairperson of Career Development: Giancarlo Shakai
- Chairperson of Community Service: Lile Bekaia
- Co-Chairperson of Community Service: Ana Karataseva
The FBLA team has high expectations for this school year, one of them being to increase membership even more than last year’s impressive community of 196 students.
Officers have already put this into motion by visiting Stroudsburg Junior High School (SJHS) to introduce the organization to freshmen and even some eight graders.
Additionally, an FBLA Fair is scheduled for September 17, after school in the SHS cafeteria. This allows students to gain more detailed information about the club and encourages them to join.
The state charity Pennsylvania FBLA has chosen to donate to this year is Feeding Pennsylvania. This organization works to provide fresh food to everyone and to grow awareness of food insecurity.
To show support, Stroudsburg FBLA plans to increase volunteering, fundraising, and community involvement in local food banks and food pantries.
A statewide goal this year is to raise a total of $50,000 for Feeding Pennsylvania. Last year’s state charity was the American Red Cross, and Stroudsburg FBLA managed to contribute $3,500 to the goal.
Apart from state charities, Stroudsburg FBLA also tries to donate to scholarships such as the William Selden Scholarship Fund which is open to FBLA members who meet certain criteria.
As the 2025-2026 school year begins, Stroudsburg FBLA encourages students to get involved in the community and grow their leadership skills.
