Thomas County Central High School Future Business Leaders of America chapter members left their mark at this summer’s 2019 FBLA National Leadership Conference and Competition.
The event took place in San Antonio, Texas June 27-July 3. TCCHS competed against clubs from around the nation and world.
“We had a great group of students at nationals this summer,” TCCHS FBLA adviser Brandi Miranda said. “Each student had a positive attitude, and everyone got along well. I believe our students did an excellent job representing TCCHS. Each student who went took their competition seriously and worked hard by meeting with past alumni who had been to nationals. They took their advice and applied it to their FBLA projects. Our students who went to nationals wanted to be successful, and it showed in the results.”
Adviser Nicholas Haskin says the club is still awaiting a few final results, but several students put in strong showings.
Then juniors Jonathan Strickland and Zach Goff placed in the top 10 in their events. Strickland earned third in Coding & Programming while Goff placed eighth in Help Desk.
“TCCHS FBLA students represented Thomas County Schools with character and class,” Haskin said. “With students competing from all over the world, competition at NLC is the toughest around. For our students to place, as just juniors, is amazing!”
Zach Goff took a test regarding customer service and fixing computer systems. Then, he handled a mock call where he played the role of a help desk representative.
“I was super excited to place, and I was glad my hard work paid off,” Goff said. “It was a great experience, and it was awesome to be with FBLA members from around the world.”
To prepare for competition, Goff improved his presentation and computer skills with assistance from Georgia FBLA alumni.
“I hope to use what they have taught me to help me compete in this year’s events,” he said.
Jonathan Strickland was very shocked to learn he placed third in his category.
“It was surreal to be able to have the same placing that I did at the state level,” he said. “For me, participating in FBLA NLC is a huge milestone. I could’ve never imagined achieving something like this. It has also opened up a lot of opportunities for me in fields that I would like to have a career in.”
Strickland designed an E-book management application specifically aligned for school systems.
“I really would like to give credit to my computer science teacher, Mark Thompson, for supporting me throughout the creation of this program, as well as everyone else who supported me,” he said.
Dev Patel, who graduated in May, and then-freshman Christian Miranda were finalists (in the top 15) in Public Service Announcement. Their PSA featured soft skills and could be only 30 seconds long. The duo chose to use a sports theme to make the PSA more fun and engaging.
“It was very exciting to make it to FBLA NLC because so many students around the world competed in our event, and we were able to make the top 15,” Christian Miranda said. “It was a neat experience for me and pushed me to step out of my comfort zone.”
Haskin thanks the TCCHS FBLA’s adviser team for their tireless work and effort in helping members prepare for competition: Beth Adams, Mindy Pierce, Mark Thompson and Brandi Miranda. He also credits TCCHS and the Thomas County Board of Education, as well as various local businesses, for their support of the FBLA program and assistance in getting students to San Antonio.
“The support we get from our administration is unparalleled,” Haskin said. “So many other advisers marvel at the support we receive from such an amazing administration! Our local businesses do so much to support our students and schools. We truly could not do it without you. Thank you for helping make this opportunity possible.”
Haskin anticipates another year of FBLA and the chance for more members to earn slots at the 2020 NLC in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“I cannot express how excited I am for the coming year,” he said. “This FBLA chapter never ceases to amaze me.”
Christian Miranda intends to compete in a different event this year. However, he aims to take what he learned from his first nationals experience and apply it to his competition strategy.
“I learned that it is important to make sure to follow the rubric and be a good presenter,” he said.
Brandi Miranda is excited to begin the year as well.
“We have a great group of underclassmen coming up and a very strong leadership team,” she said. “We will work hard on our projects this year and hope to have more students qualify for nationals.”