Imagine a group of students who don’t just dream about success, they’re actively building it. Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is turning those dreams into reality by equipping young leaders with the skills, confidence, and experience to thrive in the world of business.
“Future Business Leaders is all about building leaders today for a better tomorrow. We focus on leadership, service and competing in competitive events,” club advisor and business teacher Matt Robinson says.
Robinson has always wanted to become a club advisor because of all the opportunities that FBLA provides beyond a typical classroom.
“The leadership workshops, community service opportunities and competitive events challenge provide growth opportunities and memorable moments are what makes FBLA special,” Robinson says.
FBLA was founded in 1937 with the first chapter being chartered in Johnson City, Tennessee 1942. Since then, Dallastown has had an active chapter for over 20 years in the high school, recently looking to branch out into the middle school.
The main goal for the FBLA club is to focus on leadership, development, community service, and competing in various events. A major upcoming event for FBLA is States, which is in April and held in Hershey, PA. Here, students who advanced from the regional level, take a two day trip to Hershey Lodge and hotel to challenge themselves against students across the state at a higher level.
Showcasing the importance of being active in local communities, FBLA members also take trips to Country Meadows to socialize and play games with the elderly and the Dallastown Intermediate school to teach about cyber security and entrepreneurship. These trips help younger students learn from older students showcase how important it is to be active in your local community – one of FBLA’s core values.
An average meeting with all 99 members of FBLA includes covering objectives and leadership topics. After they go over everything, they take a brain break that are usually business related activities or eat ice cream and snacks for club social events to network with others in the club.
These meetings are run by FBLA president, Divya Anderson, who is determined to better the members of FBLA. She says, “Some pros of being the FBLA president is being able to help the members become better leaders and be more involved in the community.”
Anderson and her team have put together field trips for the members to take, to showcase their leadership skills and abilities.
One field trip they took was to Central Market in Downtown York, PA where the members went around the market and asked owners the pros and cons of owning a small business. This is an annual trip that FBLA does to help explore different options for future business ideas.
Overall, this is how FBLA members demonstrate that hard work and leadership can open doors to future opportunities. This club is more than competitions and competitiveness, they give back to their community – learning how to be a leader along the way.
With networking and communication, FBLA members get a life long experience while in the club.
