A duo of enterprising business students is headed to national competition, and others held their own during a state conference.
Thomas County Central High School students Steven Tran and Marion Rose Young will advance to the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference, to be held this summer in Atlanta. They were part of a group of TCCHS FBLA students who competed in the FBLA State Leadership Conference & Competition, held March 6-8 in Athens. During the competition, TCCHS had 13 students make the finals and 10 students medaled.
“I could not be more proud of the students and their hard work,” TCCHS FBLA Advisor Nick Haskin said. “This was the most competitive SLC (State Leadership Conference) I've seen in my 10 years of advising FBLA.”
Young and Tran placed second in the Digital Video Production category.
“I am so proud of Marion Rose Young and Steven Tran for their hard work and dedication in Digital Video Production,” Haskin said. “Qualifying for FBLA Nationals is very difficult. I am very impressed that a team comprised of a junior (Tran) and sophomore (Young) was able to stand toe-to-toe against upperclassmen and prove that they are among the best.”
Young said she and her partner knew they could go far with the video, both technically and creatively.
“The theme of this year was to rewrite a song and make a music video to promote FBLA,” Young said. “We chose ‘Uptown Funk’ (by Mark Ronson and featuring Bruno Mars) because it's a fun and popular song, and we were able to fit our lyrics to it.”
Their section of competition included the presentation of a Power Point project that explained how and why they made their video.
“At state we had to resubmit and present the video,” Train explained. “The presentation was about the video-making process and equipment we used. While I waited to go in, I did a lot of practice so I could know what I would say. Along with that, I tried to calm down before I went before the judges.”
Tran said he wanted to compete in the category because he wanted to improve his video skills. He also wanted the chance to compete because his sister (Ngan, a TCCHS graduate) previously qualified for nationals and he wanted to do an event like hers.
“I think we did well, but I didn’t expect placing so high,” Tran said. “I’m pretty excited for nationals. It’s my first time qualifying for this event and it let me know that I’ve improved a lot this past year.”
Haskin said all FBLA students who advanced to state spent time building and rehearsing presentations, working on their projects, researching their topics and, if taking tests, studying practice tests.
Senior Mason Lawing’s teams placed fifth in Digital Video Production and sixth in Public Service Announcement. He’s made videos for years and said he felt he had the best chance to succeed in those categories.
Though Lawing said there were technical difficulties and he wished he’d placed higher, he still enjoyed the experience.
“Scoring some of the highest scores in the state, despite the penalties, I felt like I still performed well,” he said.
Junior Tyler Williamson’s team placed eighth in Business Plan. She’s done this event since freshman year and has “become passionate about it.”
“I wanted to carry on that passion with new ideas and resources,” she said.
Though Williamson felt her team could have done better, she said the judging was “very tough” and she’s proud of placing.
“The competition gets tougher every year so eighth is great,” she said. “Plus, the event is so vague and there’s a million options. So, the fact we were able to create a specific and detailed business and people liked it was pretty big.”
The 2016 FBLA National Leadership Conference will be held June 29-July 2 at the World Congress Center in Atlanta.
Haskin said this conference gives students an opportunity to “compete shoulder-to-shoulder” against other high schoolers around the world “in business, presentation, and academic events,” and be judged by representatives from major colleges and Fortune 500 companies.
Young is “very excited” to advance to nationals.
“It's such an honor to have the opportunity that we have worked for, and to be able to represent our school,” she said.
The duo intends to prepare for the next level of competition by improving their presentation and video, including shooting more footage.
“I want to try some new shots and equipment to make an even more serious video,” Tran said. “I have to change some shots and replace them with improved focus and stability because those are some shortcomings of the video.”
Haskin said TCCHS FBLA “provides an environment where every student is challenged, every student is accepted, and every student is part of the family of TCCHS FBLA.”
Tran said the club has benefitted him. He has gained more confidence in presentations and speaking.
Lawing said being in FBLA has been “one of the greatest experiences of my high school life.”
“I was able to serve as club president and vice-president, and that has taught me how to act as a leader among my peers,” he said. “FBLA has prepared me to succeed in the business world and now I feel like I can act with confidence in a business setting.”
Young is also proud to be an FBLA member.
“FBLA is an outstanding organization to help students like us prepare for our future,” she said. “It also teaches us how to succeed in business, and life in general.”
Williamson is currently the TCCHS vice-president and will serve as an FBLA region officer her senior year.
“Being able to do this gives me great confidence and has helped me gain many valuable business and life skills,” Williamson said.
TCCHS FBLA State Placers
Digital Video Production
Steven Tran & Marion Rose Young (second place)
Shelby Howard & Mason Lawing (fifth place)
Public Service Announcement
Keri Corbin & Mason Lawing (sixth place)
Sanny Patel & Steven Tran (ninth place)
Business Plan
Justin Barfield, Anna Jense and Tyler Williamson (eighth place)
Insurance & Risk Management
Kaitlyn Douglas (ninth place)
Healthcare Administration
Kaitlyn Douglas (eighth place)