Academy Students Capture Top Honors at FBLA Regional Conference

Several Gatton Academy students took top honors at the 2010 Western Regional Future Busniess Leaders of America (FBLA) Conference, including five first place awards.

Each of the nine students who competed were honored as finalists in their respective events.

Students will advance to the Kentucky State Leadership Conference. This year’s event will be held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville April 15-17, 2010.

FBLA-PBL is the largest business career student organization in the world. The high school division has 215,000 members, while the postsecondary division reaches over 11,000 college students. The newest group, FBLA-Middle Level, is showing remarkable growth with nearly 15,000 student members. Finally, the Professional Division has reached over 3,000 members. Over 11,000 advisers round out the group. Exclusive membership and career recognition programs are designed for each division to provide additional personal and chapter development opportunities.

Students honored include:

Rohith Palli (Fayette ’10), first place in Business Calculations
Sarah Schrader (Warren ’11), first place in Business Communications
Thomas Choate (Warren ’10), first place in Economics
Katie Brown (Spencer ’10), first place in Marketing
Cody Feldhaus (Boone ’10), first place in Personal Finance
Stephen King (Carlisle ’10), second place in Business Law
Justin Jactzak (Christian ’10), second place in Technology Concepts
Tejas Sangoi (Daviess ’11), third place in Business Procedures
Anna Walter (Boone ’10), finalist in Interview

Stephanie Davis, a former Academy residential counselor and current WKU graduate student, serves as the chapter’s sponsor. She expressed pride not only in the team’s accomplishments but also their attitude.

“I am incredibly proud of the work that our students have done and the way they represent Gatton Academy,” she said. “Our FBLA students made a strong showing at the Regional Leadership Conference this year, demonstrating yet again that Gatton Academy students are versatile and well-rounded. These students continue to set the bar high for those who will follow in their footsteps.”

Part of the Gatton Academy’s mission is to train students to think entrepreneurially while becoming the Commonwealth’s future leader. Davis believes those skills contribute their future roles in STEM fields.

“Many of our current students will go on to open their own medical practices, engineering firms, or research labs,” Davis explained. “Other students will be managers and supervisors in their STEM fields. The Future Business Leaders of America gives students the opportunity to start learning the skills critical for business success. With a strong business foundation from their FBLA experience, Gatton Academy students will be able to smoothly transition from course work to business leadership. In this way, FBLA is a tremendous asset in preparing students to become the community leaders of tomorrow.

The FBLA concept was developed in 1937 by Dr. Hamden L. Forkner of Columbia University. The first high school chapter was chartered in Johnson City, Tennessee on February 3, 1942. In 1958, the first PBL collegiate chapter was chartered in Iowa. The Professional Division, originally the Alumni Division, began in 1979. Joining FBLA-PBL in 1994 was the FBLA-Middle Level for students in grades 5-9.

For more information, contact Corey Alderdice at (270) 745-6565.

FBLA, Spring 2010, Stephanie Davis