As competition dates inch closer, students across America are reviewing and preparing for the district, state, and national contests where tests and presentations of all varieties will make their debut. Students who strive to achieve the most know that these opportunities do not come often, and must be used for all their worth once they do. Once the events begin, many will unfortunately face loss while learning valuable lessons, while a few will experience the joy of winning.
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is a professional development club that offers students throughout the country the chance to network, build resumes, and explore different career fields through workshops, competitions, and, as offered in Tompkins, monthly meetings. Students work in specific categories, and competitions range from district to nationals, where students have the chance to win various awards and meet creative professionals.
“We would always have time during the competitions to meet new people and make new memories, so that was very fun, it taught me many very good lessons on how to view our life and how anything we get, we have to accept it,” said nationalist winner senior Keerthana Thatikonda.
Over the summer of 2024, Thatikonda worked her way up the ladder to nationals, winning first place in a testing event focused on Word Processing. She was able to meet people from other districts and other states while competing and managed to learn valuable lessons. She began and did her first event for FBLA in her sophomore year, and even though she didn’t go as far as she hoped, it taught her ways to be better and enhance her skills for the next year.
“I think a lot of people, even if they don’t win one year, still continue to do it, and there is a determination to win the next year, so it really pushes you forward,” said Thatikonda.
Thatikonda’s win was unexpected to her, yet well-earned. She took the club one step at a time and drew on the help and feedback from others while practicing. A community is created within the club and its members through support and encouragement and students connect through their similar challenges and how they allow the dedication to winning to push them forward and grow. Thatikonda has personally felt the support from the club within groups that included her best friend and sister, and completely new people. Bonding and being able to work with teammates is crucial in FBLA and learning to utilize communication is key.
“It still gets a bit hard to communicate sometimes cause it can be a little hard to figure out how to try to tell a person to change something without sounding mean, so that requires good communication skills,” said Thatikonda.
Thatikonda also attended workshops lined with business entrepreneurs, stands, and free samples. In workshops, colleges, organizations, and professionals alike come together to spread their advice to young students. She learned through the workshops and competitions that hard work can push you forward and pay off, but sometimes everything you do isn’t enough to succeed, but you can use everything as a learning opportunity.
“I learned that there are many different types of people and different types of situations you have to go through to get what you want through new achievements or obstacles, even though you may not like it, prepare you for the future,” said Thatikonda.
Winning any kind of national competition means coming out on top in a room full of contestants from around the country, and you deserve high praise for such an achievement. Thatikonda made her way to nationals through hard work and determination time and time again and considers her time in FBLA as completely unregretful, and advocates for other high school students to take it. The people who go into the club, come out as more well-versed and rounded people in life and the career field.
