The Californian, Spring 2010 by California FBLA

The Californian â&#x20AC;˘ Spring 2010

The official newsletter of California Future Business Leaders of America Volume 61, Issue 3 â&#x20AC;˘ Spring 2010

In this issue: Making State Memorable, Finding a New Adviser, Hotel Etiquette, and more!

The Californian • Spring 2010

President’s Corner

Your 2009-10 State Officer Team

C a l i fo r n i a FBLA has been helping you Fuel your Future and it has paid off with an extremely successful year! You are now ready to unbuckle the seatbelt of your racecar and step into the future with all of the knowledge, networks, and skills garnered from this FBLA year.

Members and Advisers, you have been active in your projects, conferences, and competitions and helped your members continue to fuel their future. With the creation of the Best Practices Resource Guide, providing activity suggestions relating to community service, fundraisers, and socials, our local chapters have been more active than ever. There has also been enthusiastic participation in the Business Achievement Awards and State Projects, especially with the new tier-system introduced for the Go Green Project. National FBLA took an interest in California’s Individual Go Green Project as well as California’s Government Awareness Program and created two national projects modeled after these. In addition, we had the highest attendance ever at the Leadership Development Institutes!

California FBLA has reached an impressive number of 5,928 members, making it the largest chapter in the Western Region. The active membership recruitment and reactivation of chapters, driven by the state officers as well as the local chapter members, has showed amazing results.

California FBLA, thank you for offer- State Vice President (Southern) ing California FBLA just as many great Panos Kanellakopoulos things as it offers you. I can’t wait to see State Secretary-Treasurer you all at the State Leadership Conference in Irvine! David Mao State Public Relations Officer In service, Cathy Xu Kavya Shankar State Parliamentarian

California FBLA members,

Fuel Your Future!

Questions or comments about this publication? David Mao

Public Relations Officer California FBLA Los Osos High School 6001 Milliken Avenue Alta Loma, CA 91737

Kavya Shankar State President

Alissa Song

State Vice President (Bay)

Imran Noorali

State Vice President (Central)

Devang Sampat

State Vice President (Gold Coast)

Linxi Wu

State Vice President (Inland)

Miguel Puentes

State Vice President (Northern)

Erik Nguyen

Table of Contents CAFBLA Links..................................................................................... 3 Mrs. Nakauchi.....................................................................................3 FBLA Dates...........................................................................................3 10 Ways to Make State Memorable...............................................4 Nationals...............................................................................................4 Finding a New Adviser......................................................................5 Spotlight on Pavan Tripathi............................................................6 A Chapter Summit............................................................................7 It’s Business Time...............................................................................7 A Year in Racap...................................................................................8 Hotel Etiquette....................................................................................8 Get Into the Workplace!.................................................................. 10 Staying Active......................................................................................11 State Leadership Conference..........................................................11 Chapter Headlines............................................................................ 12 Section Newsletters.......................................................................... 13

The Californian • Spring 2010

CAFBLA Links Make sure to check out these important California FBLA links! California FBLA official website: www.cafbla.org California FBLA Twitter: http://twitter.com/cafbla California FBLA Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2231732099 California FBLA Forum: http://cafbla.prophpbb.com/ Best Practices Resource Packet Submission: http://bit.ly/4RkjGu For questions, e-mail pr@cafbla.org.

Mrs. Nakauchi by Panos Kanellakopoulos

rs. Kiki Naukichi is the epitomy of an FBLA adviser. Being a part of FBLA for over 40 years, she has inspired and motivated countless students to become the successful leaders she saw always saw in them. As chairman of the Board of Directors, Bay Section and Live Oak High School adviser, her countless hours of dedication often go unnoticed to members outside of the Bay and State officer teams. “Her views and attitude towards life are something that has inspired me to do greater work” says California President Kavya Shankar who sees Mrs. Naukachi as one of her greatest role models. Advisers also greatly respect her, and her generosity can be summed up by Monta Vista adviser Carl Schmidt, “Not only does she diligently plan her conferences, but she also finds the time to make all the advisers her delicious home-made jam.” The California and Bay Section officers’ team would like to once again thank Mrs. Naukachi for all her hard work, and if any of you see her walking around during the State Leadership Conference, make sure to stop by and say thanks!

FBLA Dates April 15-18 - State Leadership Conference April 18 - Incoming-outgoing state officer’s meeting May 13-14 - Newly elected state officer’s meeting May 14-15 - State Board meeting June 27-30 - State Leadership Summit July 13-14 - Institute for Leaders July 14-17 - National Leadership Conference For all dates, please visit http://bit.ly/6Ox37J

Mrs. Nanauchi takes a picture with Cathy Xu.

The Californian • Spring 2010

10 Ways to Make State Memorable

By Cathy Xu

et ready! The State Leadership Conference in Irvine is coming up, and you want this experience of a lifetime to last, right? Lucky for you, here’s a simple 10-step strategy for maximizing your conference experience. 1. Prep your chapter for the State Leadership Conference. Complete as many projects as possible to get more ribbons to attach to your name badges. Encourage all members to come to SLC, and sit together during the Opening Ceremony to cheer for your school during roll call! 2. Study hard for your competitions. There’s only a matter of weeks until the State Leadership Conference, so hang in there! Imagine just how much more memorable State would be with the rush of excitement onstage at the Awards of Excellence Program. Also, there is nothing quite as memorable as a giant plaque to take home.

3. Make the most out of your State Leadership Conference by attending the March of Dimes Walk. Take a walk with the rest of the California FBLA around the hotel. Not only is this a great opportunity to meet people, the money raised will also go towards helping babies. 4. State Leadership Conference workshops are top notch, so try to attend as many as possible. You will get to meet successful businesspeople in different industries and pick up their tips for career and life success. 5. Visit the campaign booths and make an effort to meet all the candidates! Even if you are not a voting delegate, you have a say in which way your chapter votes. Selecting qualified officers for the next year will ensure that California FBLA continues to be one of the strongest in the nation. 6. Bring your sunglasses! Irvine California is projected to have temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s throughout the month of May. The Irvine beaches are only 10-15 minutes away from Newport Beach, so your chapter might look into taking a sandy vacation!

8. Write down the contact information of all the new friends you make from across the state. After the conference, keep in touch through e-mail or Facebook so that you don’t lose the valuable networking you made over the weekend. 9. Get plenty of rest leading up to the conference. If you know that you’ll be staying up all night in coffee-fueled poker tournaments in your room, Gossip Girl marathons, or 3 A.M. talks in your own hotel room, catch up on your sleep now so you’ll be energized and ready to go when State rolls around. 10. Most importantly, bring a camera!

7. Speaking of Irvine, be sure to visit some of the vacation destinations while

professionals, enter in the Open Events program, and meet aspiring leaders from throughout the nation! This sumBy Alissa Song mer, you can also attend the Institute for Leaders program held in partnerhose who Fuel Your Future ship with the NLC which will prepare are also Simply the Best! Af- you with the business leadership skills ter the State Leadership Con- to not only succeed in FBLA, but also in ference, you can look forward to the your future career. 2010 National Leadership Conference (NLC). This year’s conference Tennessee plays an important role in will be hosted at the spectacular United States history: It was the first Gaylord Opryland Resort & Con- state to be readmitted to the Union afvention Center in Nashville, Ten- ter the Civil war; it was home to New nessee from July 14-17. In addition Deal programs such as the Tennessee to competing in your event, you will Valley Authority, and much more. It will have the opportunity to attend busi- be an exhilarating experience to travel ness workshops led by experienced to this state to represent your chapter

Nationals

you are in the city. The Irvine Spectrum is a famous outdoor mall that features a 21-screen movie theater, stores like H&M and Nordstrom, and numerous restaurants. For more high-energy fun, Irvine’s Palace Park features mini-golf, go-carting, arcades, bumper boats, and go-karting. Finally, for the budding intellectual, Irvine is the home of the Ayn Rand Institute, which is a must-visit for all fans of Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead.

and California FBLA at NLC this summer. The city of Nashville teems with exciting American music, tantalizing cuisine, and a myriad of entertainment that is awaiting you. We cannot wait to see you there!

The Californian • Spring 2010

Finding a New Adviser

by Linxi Wu

ou might find the following advice helpful if you are in one of two situations. Number one: you are planning to organize a new FBLA chapter, and do not have an adviser yet. Number two: you have an adviser for your chapter, and you cannot imagine your chapter without this adviser. It is rather clear for situation one why the chapter needs an adviser. But some may wonder why a chapter in the second situation needs to worry about finding another adviser. This is because having two advisers adds to the sustainability of your chapter. In case your chapter’s current adviser cannot continue in his/her role, there will be another person who can fill in that role to register members for competition, find buses to travel to conferences, and to sign the necessary papers. With the current budget cuts, there might

be shifts and changes in responsibilities for your adviser within the school as teachers are transferred or even let go of by the district. If this means that your adviser no longer has the time to advise your chapter, it will be stressful and difficult to replace them. So start finding another adviser now while you still have one. Make sure your chapter lasts. Now, onto the hunt for advisers. As anyone who has tried will tell you, teachers are busy people. It is not easy to convince anyone to take up the commitment of being an FBLA adviser, let alone busy teachers. What helps is to think in their perspective. You know why you want them to become advisers, but why would they want to? What is in it for the teachers? Most advisers stay because they love to see their students succeed. Emphasize the rewarding aspect of being an adviser. Tell them what FBLA has done for you, and what it could do for future students. If you already have an adviser, have your current adviser speak with them. Knowing that they will have the

support of a peer will help recruit the prospective adviser. Also, consider why they would not want to become an adviser. They probably know very little of this organization. All the acronyms in FBLA - BAA, LCABR, GAP - can be intimidating. Let them know that you will help them through it, and that there is a great deal of support available from other advisers in the section and from the section officer team. Offer e-mails of other advisers and the section president so that they can get into the network right away. The most important thing though, is to ask likely candidates. Go to teachers who you think would like to delve into the FBLA world. For further advice, check out the official “Securing an Adviser” guide online at http://cafbla.org/Library%20Documents/Officer%20 Resource%20Guides/How%20 To%20Adviser.pdf. Good luck!

Local chapter adviser Janet La Croix speaks to Gabrielino at SLC ‘09.

The Californian • Spring 2010

Spotlight on Pavan Tripathi by Kavya Shankar

s a member of California Future Business Leaders of America, Mr. Pavan Tripathi began his FBLA career his freshman year at Cupertino High School. During his time in the organization, he went on to serve as Bay Section President and State President and received state and national recognition in competitive events including International Business, Business Procedures, and Future Business Leader. Mr. Tripathi is currently an analyst in the private equity group for a global investment bank and now continues to give back to California FBLA as a member of the Board of Directors. How did your involvement in FBLA influence your career choice? FBLA was the catalyst that fueled my passion for business early on in my life. But more than that, FBLA exposed me to different parts of the world that I didn’t even know existed. For example, FBLA helped open my eyes to finance as a possible career choice. FBLA helped shape not only the direction of my career, but also my work ethic and desire to succeed.

the development of critical thinking skills. What is unique about FBLA in comparison with other extracurriculars is its relevance and real-world application.

What is a typical day like at your job?

As an analyst in the private equity group, I look at late-stage technology companies, evaluate their business plans, and determine if we should invest in those companies. There are three “Through FBLA, How does your major components of background in I developed and my job: financial analFBLA help you in ysis, building revenue honed by speaking, and cost projections your career? companies; indusnetworking, and for The knowledge, nettry research, trying to works, and skills gained out what “cool” communication find through my time in areas are poised for FBLA have been ingrowth; and talking to skills.” valuable well beyond management teams, my high school experilearning more about ence. Through FBLA, I developed and their businesses and markets. In eshoned my speaking, networking, and sence, my daily job involves learning communication skills, all of which are as much as I can, drawing conclusions, integral parts of my job. Whether I am and turning it into something that is building a financial model to determine presentable. potential returns or collaborating with a team to execute a transaction, FBLA How do you think the current has helped me form the basis of these economic crisis has affected skills. Further, competing in events the job market, particularly such as Entrepreneurship allowed me your field? to develop the ability to think on my feet and frame business issues through In general, the economic crisis has

clearly not been good for the job market, making it more challenging to find a job. The finance industry should see the benefit of an improving economy, hopefully opening up new job opportunities. For me specifically, the macro environment has caused me to spend more time focusing on working with the companies we had already invested in to ensure that they have access to all the strategic resources they need to grow through the downturn.

What advice do you have for aspiring business leaders? The best advice I could give is very simple: have fun -- find the positive in all of your activities, in and out of the classroom. Not only will you enjoy your schoolwork, practices, and committee meetings more, you will be able to gain more from those foundational experiences. In any job, there will be elements that you love and parts you will find frustrating at times. However, by keeping an optimistic perspective and a positive attitude, you will keep a high level of motivation, which will lead to greater success in your personal and professional lives. Plus, you will spend a lot more time with a big smile on your face.

The Californian • Spring 2010

A Chapter Summit

By David Mao

t is summer, and there is a group of newly elected FBLA officers. Some are excited to take on their second, or maybe even third year as a local chapter officer. Some are completely new to officership, waiting to see what the year has in store for them. Everyone is a devoted FBLA member, but not everyone knows everyone else very well. They know the paper description of what their office entails, but they are waiting to be able to put it into practice. The president of this chapter decides, wisely, that the chapter officers should meet over the summer for FBLA; after all, there is a lot to do - plan out the year, make the officers bond with each other, prepare the Program of Work, and pass on experience from former officers to new officers. This would take quite a while to do - maybe even an entire day devoted solely to FBLA, or a chapter summit. First, a chapter summit is used to plan, or begin planning, the entire year. Yes, the entire year, including that Back-to-

It’s Business Time By Devang Sampat

f you ask most businessmen, stockbrokers, or investment bankers what the most prominent thought in their mind is at any moment of the day, the answer is probably going to be the state of the economy. It is no hidden fact that America is in what some consider to be the worst economic recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Despite this bleak outlook, many businesses have changed their focuses. Most are no longer as worried

School Night in September, that March of Dimes Fundraiser in December, that Dodgeball Tournament in March, and even that end-of-year banquet in May. It is important to do as much as you can during the summer, because officers will likely face a mountain of homework once school starts. Also, by planning the year, you can make sure to meet deadlines for membership and projects, and make sure that the important projects of the year are not left to the very end.

Rancho Cotate High School’s Chapter Summit. This is also a great time to pass experience from old officers to their new counterparts. Old officers may or may not be present at the summit, but officers should reflect upon the prior year and think about what went well, what could have gone better, and what they will do in the coming year. Optionally, about turning a profit as they use to be. Indeed, this slump, is the eve of a radical change in American business which can be said to be spearheaded by two movements. The first, is the concept of community being larger than the business. For example, Zynga Inc, the company which owns the Facebook games FarmVille and Mafia Wars, decided to use it’s large customer base to raise money for those in Haiti. It raised over 1.5 million dollars and donated that entire sum. The second concept, is that gone is the time of big business conglomerates. The advent of cheap, easily accessible resources, has allowed the average joe with enough

old officers can attend and relay as much experience as they can to the new officer. Experience is crucial because it prevents the same mistakes from being made and repeats the successes that were made. This will likely the first time the officer team will work with each other, and the atmosphere might be awkward; however, this is a prime time to loosen up and break the ice - with icebreakers! This will encourage chapter officers to work together like well-greased gears. Also, this will develop friendships within the officer team, which is important for efficient communication. What better way to relax the atmosphere than having an entire day working together? This is only one way to prepare officers over the summer. The important thing is that officers are excited for the upcoming year and adequately prepared for the challenges that will come. If officers already have bonded with each other and know their duties before OAT Day, they are already one step ahead! A prosperous year always depends on the preparedness of officers.

passion to create their own industries in everything from automobiles to web design. While it may seem like this has always existed, i.e. Google was started in a garage after all, it should be remembered that Sergey Brin and Larry Page were PhD students at Stanford. Now, anyone can teach themselves how to program, and can start their own business from the comfort of their home with almost no capital needed. Therefore, while the depression the may seem like the biggest event in the business world at the moment, it is actually not.

The Californian • Spring 2010

The Year in Recap By Imran Noorali

As we near the 2010 State Leadership Conference to be held in Irvine, California, we can look back at this year as a great success. We started off by dominating at the National Leadership Conference, which was held in our own state, and continued our thirst for excellence throughout the year. In fact, this year was a record year for California FBLA in which we registered a total of 5,979 members for California alone, which easily surpassed last year’s total by a whopping 5.73 percent! By achieving great standards in competitions and membership, California FBLA has truly done its part to “Fuel its Future.” Below are some recaps of each section’s progress for this FBLA year including their successes at the section conferences: Bay Section: With over a dozen chapters and four hundred members in attendance, Bay Section brought itself to an even higher level of competitive success and excellence at its section leadership conference. This was the first year we implemented the All Star Chapter program that Gold Coast Section shared with us, where chapters submitted candidates for friendly competition in modeling, talent, and FBLA fun facts. Additionally, members enjoyed professional workshops, afternoon entertainment, and a keynote presentation from Seth Sternberg, the CEO of Meebo. Central Section: With an astounding increase of over two hundred members and over ten chapters,

the Central Section saw record numbers of conference attendees throughout the year. We implemented a new change, inspired by Gold Coast and Southern sections, and transported the members of the conference to another location for awards and free time. There the members enjoyed lazer tag, a highly extensive arcade, indoor surfing, and indoor soccer fields. Overall, there were almost six hundred members present and an increase of seven chapters attending from the years past for a grand total of twenty-five chapters present. Gold Coast: This year Gold Coast had over 900 attendees to our section conference, a 20% increase from last year as well as nine candidates for five section officer positions. Despite this increase, the conference ran surprisingly smoothly. After opening session, Gold Coast once more had FBLA Day at Six Flags Magic Mountain followed by our closing session. Overall, this was one of the best section conferences Gold Coast has ever had. Inland: On February 27th, the Inland Section Leadership Conference was held at Santiago High School. Though it was raining, the weather could not dampen the spirit of the attendees. Officer campaigns energized the conference, as eleven candidates fought to secure votes from each chapter. This year, the biggest change was that Inland Section decided to direct everyone to the Crossroads Mall to have fun before the awards ceremony. It turned out to be a great idea because of the weather, and it made for a very successful conference. Northern: This year’s Northern Section Leadership Conference was held at Center High School in Antelope. While the members waited for the results of the competitions, Dr. Dave Hill hypnotized some of the crowd and mesmerized all. Participants believed they were Britney Spears, James Bond, dancing with Megan Fox, or the new American

Idol. Later, the crowd was pumped up by the dance crew, Second Nature’s performance onstage. After the results were announced, it was time to reveal next year’s officer team. With four candidates for Northern President, no one could predict the outcome. In the end, Anthony Mendoza triumphed. Southern: Southern section conference was a huge success. Hosted at UC Irvine this year, the event was even more fun and bigger than ever. The biggest change was that we decided to use medals to award those who qualified for State Leadership Conference instead of plaques.

Hotel Etiquette By Erik Nguyen

Whether you are experienced with State Leadership Conference or are brand new, there is always a thing or two you can learn about proper hotel etiquette. This can be broken down into six simple categories: behavior, tipping, room service, elevator etiquette, bringing extra items, and miscellaneous.

Behavior When staying at any hotel, it is crucial to remember that the rules of the hotel are not going to be the same as your house. You cannot run around the hall screaming because there are hundreds of other guests surrounding you. Hotel walls are also not that thick and people will be able to hear you. If curfew is set at midnight or later, it is still common courtesy to keep the noise level down after around 10 P.M. You can still roam around, but please try to keep the noise level to a minimum. Also, do not treat the hotel like a playground. This means that you should be careful at all times, and not run around the hotel with the possibility of breaking items. Furthermore, please be courteous to the other guests by making way for them in elevators or in hallways.

The Californian • Spring 2010 Tipping

tor, but there are actions you can take to speed up the process for others waitVery few people know that hotels have ing. The first thing is to make choices maids who work different shifts. The based on what floor you are on. If you best thing to do is to leave a small tip are on the bottom three floors, then you every day because, if you leave a tip on should consider taking the stairs. It isn’t the very last day, it’s possible that you that far to trek downstairs and it also tipped a maid who hasn’t even been serves as good exercise. Feel free to take in your room before that day. Keep in the stairs whenever possible even if you mind that, when tipping, it is best to are at the higher levels—step lightly leave bills instead of numerous coins, as high heels echo very loudly up the because the loose change can be very stairwell. Remember to wait to the side inconvenient for the person receiving of the elevator door, so that the people the tip. Although tipping is common exiting the elevator have clear path. courtesy, it is not required. A lot of these services are supposed to be complimentary, but if someone does an outstanding service for you, please tip them for it.

Room Service

try to fill the elevator like a game of Tetris.

Extra Items All hotels are different. Some hotels will not provide you with everything you need. Be sure to check online to see what amenities are offered. For girls, this could mean that you need to bring a hair dryer or curling/straightening iron. For guys, if you would like to bring your PS3 or 360, make sure you call and check to make sure the TV will be plugged in. Also, hangers, glassware, and other items in the hotel room that are not perishable are not souvenirs, and if these items are missing, you can be charged afterward.

When the term “room Miscellaneous service” comes to mind, everyone immediately Always remember to jumps on the idea of keep your money and expensive food. This valuables locked away is very true; however in a safe area if you room service is not just plan on being away there for food. It profrom your room for vides quick assistance to a while. Most hotels Oxford Academy meets in a hotel room at SLC last year. ensure that you have a offer a small complivery comfortable stay at mentary safe to keep the hotel. For instance, your wallet, and some if you would like to make sure that you Do not rush at the door as soon as it small items. Also, even if maids are and your roommates wake up on time, opens; you can’t even enter the eleva- available to clean up, please do your you can have them provide a wakeup tor if it is full o f people. If possible, let best to make sure that there is a call in the morning. Room service can other hotel guests who are not a part of clear separation between your clean also provide you with additional blan- FBLA on first, as a courtesy. Elevators items and anything dirty or used. kets and pillows. Of course everyone are known for seldom running on time This will be easier on the maids, always has a late night craving, so if you during FBLA conferences so if you are and will also ensure your items to are still up around 11-12 PM and would trying to get down for a big event such be safe while you are away. like a snack, you can always call room as the Opening Session or the Awards service. Remember that you should tip of Excellence session, try to get to the If you follow these tips, you will see them for this service. elevator at least 15 minutes before the why FBLA has always had a wonevent starts to give you enough time to derful reputation of being respectElevator Etiquette catch a ride down. While it looks like ful and hospitable guests. These something fun to do in movies, please tips are not only useful at the State If you have ever been to SLC, you prob- do not press all the buttons at once on Leadership Conference and Nationably know how long it can take to catch an elevator. Lastly, be smart when it al Leadership Conference, but will an elevator. There is not a lot you can comes to filling an elevator. Everyone be useful to your future visits to do to speed up the arrival of an eleva- likes a bit of personal space, so do not other hotels.

The Californian • Spring 2010

Get Into the Workplace! by Kavya Shankar

ith summer rapidly approaching and summer programs more expensive than ever, it is time to look into pursuing other alternatives to boost your resume and receive a meaningful experience. It seems early to start looking for a way to get out of the classroom and into the workforce, but in reality, most opportunities are made available to students as early as January. Here are some steps for securing a summer internship.

Step #1: Find an Internship

As a high school student, this is by far the hardest step, because most businesses specify that they are only looking for college-level interns. However, many times, this requirement is only put into place because businesses are looking for experienced interns and not necessarily because there is a requirement to have a high school diploma. Feel free to apply to these internships as well. In order to locate an internship, check your school’s career center or daily bulletin for local listings. Further, browse through the business section of the Yellow Pages and ask friends, family, community leaders, professional members, chamber of commerce, and local government agencies for availabilities.

Step #2: Apply for an Internship

Most organizations require one or more of the following: a résumé, a cover letter, an application that they provide, your high school transcript, and one or more ref-

erence letters. Think about how your previous training, including academics, qualifies you. Many local internships will also require an interview. In writing your resume, implement the following tips in order to make your application stand out. Use bulleted points with descriptive phrases without complete sentences or the word “I.” Bullets make for quick reading and therefore help the reader view your accomplishments at a glance. Further, utilize action words such as those offered on http://www.resume-help. org/resume_action_words.htm. Vary your word choice and do not start every bullet point with the same action word. Finally, focus on your uniqueness. What makes you unique or stand out from the rest? Include your active participation in projects and activities in which you have contributed. Give any leadership positions you hold and any work experience you have had.

self has almost an equal weight. Make sure to choose a professional-looking outfit and dress one notch above the position for which you are applying. Give a firm handshake, make eye contact, sit up straight, smile, and speak articulately. Write a thank-you card to all of the individuals that interviewed you immediately after you have had your interview. The best thank-you cards are handwritten and arrive within a day or two.

Step #3: Complete an Internship

After this lengthy process, if you receive the internship of your choice, congratulations on this amazing opportunity! If not, don’t worry. Applying is part of the process and next time, you will be more experienced at resume writing and interviewing, making you an even more appealing candidate. It is imperative to take advantage of our current economic situation by choosing a meaningful way to spend your upcoming summer vacation. By pursuing an internship, you will have taken a step towards a promising future by developing your career portfolio, expanding your networks, and exploring new employment opportunities. The invaluable knowledge, skills, and networks obtained will last well beyond your high school career.

Although the resume is what presents your qualifications on paper, the interview you have with your prospective employer is what allows him or her to assess your personality and applicable skills. Thus, preparation for the interview is vital. Before the interview, look up some commonly asked interview questions, and practice your responses to them. However, don’t memorize your answers verbatim, or you will appear too rehearsed during the actual in t e r v i e w. Although what you say is important, the way you Linxi Wu and David Mao pose at an internship with present yourCalifornia Disctict 32 Senate.

The Californian • Spring 2010

Staying Active

Another way to add excitement to your chapter is through elections. Instead of holding them after SLC, or right before school ends, consider holding them now. This way, you provide the incentive for P tests are looming. Members have been dwin- people to show their commitment and leave time dling for the past two weeks. Agendas are starting after elections to train next year’s officers too. to repeat themselves. MeetDo not forget to reward your memings lack the freshness they once had. bers for their hard work and particiYou need a surge of energy that even pation throughout the year. Throw “For all of its benTwix cannot provide. What should the members who have participated in you do to keep your FBLA chapter state projects a small party. Organize efits, FBLA’s bigactive? Read on to find out. a banquet at a nearby hotel or in your cafeteria. Suggest members to your gest draw to its For one, people stay with FBLA and school newspaper and video produclove FBLA because of the people in members is still its tion team to be recognized. Recognize FBLA. For all of it’s benefits, FBLA’s especially active underclassmen durbiggest draw to its members is still ing your meetings. People love to have members” its members. So create opportunities their contributions be known, so make for your members to make friends. a part of the meeting about them. This often is hard to do during meetings, so try organizing a late night study session at the school. Group those Lastly, make sure you are contributing to a positive in the same events together, and bring food. This is a environment at the meetings by your example. If great event that tackles not only the looming competi- you love FBLA conferences, tell a few people why. If tion but also bonds the chapter together. you love your chapter, show it with a smile. Attitude after all, is contagious. By Linxi Wu

State Leadership Conference By Miguel Puentes

he 2010 California FBLA State Leadership Conference is the place to be! Make your way to the Hyatt Regency in Irvine, California from April 15-18 to Fuel your Future with FBLA. Visit the different workshops that offer a variety of topics that will make you a better leader. Make your voice heard and elect your 2010-2011 State Officer Team. Visit the campaign booths starting on Friday and find out about the candidates running for state office. Be there to support March of Dimes by attending the “Blue Jeans for Babies” dance on Friday evening. Are you a local chapter president? Well, the Parade of Presidents will be held during the Awards Session on Saturday evening. Don’t forget to attend and represent for your lo-

cal chapter. Looking to have some networking around the pool and fun? On Saturday make your way to the courts during your open South Coast Plaza or to the Irvine times. Whether competing or Spectrum! The South Coast Plaza just coming along for the exis widely known as the largest and perience California FBLA State perhaps finest center for shopping Leadership Conference will and eating in Southern California. surely Fuel your Future. It has all the traditional department stores plus name brand designer boutiques. Or, if you prefer movies, the Irvine Spectrum is where you need to be. It’s home to the most visited movie theater in the country and is internationally acclaimed for its state–of–the–art mall known for its fine stores, restaurants, beautiful architecture, and pleasing ambiance. MAXIMIZE your Jonathan Lam wins an award at SLC

The Californian • Spring 2010

Chapter Headlines Fountain Valley High School Sheshanna Phan, Public Relations Officer

tudents from the Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) FBLA- PBL chapter met the Mayor of Fountain Valley, Larry Cradall, and broadcasted business quotes during the school’s morning announcements during National FBLA-PBL Week. Chapter Co-President Donald Chan had written a letter to Mayor Crandall asking him to proclaim the week of February 7-13, 2010, as FBLA-PBL Week in the city of Fountain Valley and later requested if the chapter could meet him to receive the proclamation in person. On Wednesday, February 10, eight members met Mayor Crandall at 2 P.M. in the school’s administration building. In addition to giving the chapter the proclamation, the Mayor talked about his career and businessperson shadow opportunities and invited the chapter to Fountain Valley City Hall after its Sectional Leadership Conference at UC Irvine on Saturday, March 6. Meeting the Mayor was a magnificent opportunity and experience. He gave us a lot of insight on public service and business opportunities in Fountain Valley,” said Chan. In honor of National FBLA-PBL Week, the FVHS FBLA chapter put inspirational business quotes on the morning announcements on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday’s quote was “quit talking and begin doing” by Walt Disney. Wednesday’s was, “High expectations are the key to everything,” by Sam Walton. Friday’s was, “I like thinking big,” by Donald Trump.

? Send Did your chapter do something special too

bla.org!

your chapter press releases to pr@caf

Cupertino High School Anthony Kao

ickets? Check. Posters? Check. Officers? Check, after finishing the latest AP Bio lab. On a cold Thursday morning, the Cupertino FBLA leadership team set out to market and sell tickets for the Fremont Union High School District Intra-district Staff Dodge Ball Game on March 11, 2010. Annually, FUHSD FBLA chapters are recruited to conduct marketing operations for this event, and this year was no different. Going classroom to classroom to distribute ticket stubs to buyers and plastering posters all over campus, officers garnered valuable marketing experience while supporting a worthy cause; the game’s revenue was donated to victims of the recent Haitian earthquake. As Vice President of Conferences Vivek Krishnamurthy said, “we are glad to be supporting the people in Haiti. Besides, it’s an added benefit that we get to see our teachers throw rubber balls at each other.” After traversing the halls of Cupertino High School that Thursday and conducting sales during lunch, the Cupertino FBLA officers managed to sell a bevy of tickets and raise awareness of the dodge ball tournament. Though this year’s tournament has ended, next year Cupertino FBLA will be at it again— ripping ticket stubs on another cold Thursday morning.

The Californian • Spring 2010

Issue 3 – March

The Official Newsletter of the Bay Section FBLA Chapter PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Hello Bay Section,

i State Leadership

Congratulations to all of our chapters and competitors for an excellent job at the Bay Section Leadership Conference! A big thank you to Lynbrook High School, all of our advisers, and all of YOU for making the conference such a success!

Conference ͳͷǦͳͺǡ ʹͲͳͲ i National Leadership Conference ͳͶǦͳ͹ǡ ʹͲͳͲ i Institute for Leaders ͳ͵ǦͳͶǡ ʹͲͳͲ

In addition to competitions, this year has been filled with numerous achievements in projects, business development, and communication – our section has truly advanced to the next level. I would also like to send my congratulations to the section officer team for their outstanding leadership throughout this term.

Looking ahead, the 2010 State Leadership Conference is just

around the corner. I encourage you to continue studying and President’s Corner 1 learning to maximize your achievements in Irvine. Good Luck! Bay Section Officers’ Alissa Song Message 1 BAY SECTION OFFICERS’ MESSAGE Bay Section Chapter Updates 2 The Bay Section Leadership team thanks you for making the 2009-2010 year Cupertino FBLA unforgettable. Your attendance and Markets Dodgeball support at OAT Day, LDI, and BSLC allowed the Bay Section to arrive at the G 2 ame

baypr@cafbla.org Ǩ

next stop: success. We have been very fortunate to serve as your Bay Section and State officers and we hope that you enjoyed this FBLA year! Congratulations to all state-qualifiers and to newly elected officers, Angela Gu for Bay President, and Hung-Jen Wu for Bay Vice President. The State Leadership Conference is coming up fast! Prepare for your competitions and be ready to have fun and network! Good luck to all State competitors and candidates for Bay Section office! See you all at SLC! 2009-2010 Bay Section/State Officers

The Californian • Spring 2010

BAY SECTION CHAPTER UPDATES

Alissa Song President Homestead High School baypresident@cafbla.org Eric Lu Vice President Rancho Cotate High School bayvp@cafbla.org Angela Gu Secretary Monta Vista High School baysecretary@cafbla.org Roger Sanchez Treasurer Live Oak High School baytreasurer@cafbla.org Christine Kyauk Public Relations Officer Westmoor High School baypr@cafbla.org Eric Wong Parliamentarian Monta Vista High School bayparli@cafbla.org Kavya Shankar State President Lynbrook High School president@cafbla.org Panos Kanellakopoulos State SecretaryͲTreasurer Monta Vista High School secͲtreas@cafbla.org Cathy Xu State Parliamentarian Lynbrook High School parli@cafbla.org Kiki Nakauchi Bay Section Director Live Oak High School kikinakauchi@aol.com

Rancho Cotate Eric Lu

Homestead High School Kathy Sun

Independence High School Debra Pacio Live Oak High School Roger Sanchez

Monta Vista High School Angela Gu Petaluma High School Allison Hall

Evergreen Valley High School Gurpai Kapoor

Westmoor High School Christine Kyauk Cupertino High School Anthony Kao

Rancho Cotate FBLA brought a record number of members to the Bay Section Leadership Conference and had three members place in their respective events. The chapter also took a field trip to DeVry University to learn about career education. Rancho FBLA is looking forward to attending the State Leadership Conference in April. Homestead High School FBLA is wrapping up our first semester initiatives and getting ready to roar into competitions season. Chapter projects have had a glamorous marketing event for NeuroSky, an educational “Game of Life” presentation at Sunnyvale Library, and an exciting healthy living walkathon for their culminations. This year, Independence High School's annual Holocaust Week was hosted by FBLA! From March 1st to March 5th, Holocaust survivors were invited to speak about their experiences with the Holocaust and educate the school about one of history's most catastrophic events. This past month, Live Oak FBLA has conducted a park clean up at Diana Park in Morgan Hill. They raked leaves and picked up garbage that littered the park and the alleyway leading to it. The alleyway is almost never clean, so it looked drastically different after members finished cleaning. On Thursday, March 10 Monta Vista FBLA went to support Lynbrook FBLA and our teachers at the annual Intra-District Dodgeball Tournament. Congratulations to the Monta Vista staff for securing the championship titles for co-ed and women division! Petaluma FBLA has recently attended a tour to a local business called "viva cocolat." The owner talked to the members about the process she took in order to own and operate her own business. Petaluma FBLA has also raised $56 to help Haiti through selling chocolate strawberries and caramel apples. Evergreen Valley FBLA toured a pizzeria, where they were given the opportunity to make their own pizzas! Members are currently working with a charity called Sacred Heart. Also, a field trip to the Ghirardelli Chocolate factory is being planned. Westmoor FBLA raised over $600 for March of Dimes! The Pie-AnOfficer/Intern fundraiser was a huge success and a record amount of donations were collected over the duration of two weeks. In addition, all Bay Section competitors donated $2 for the door prize drawing. Recently, Cupertino FBLA has hosted two screenings of educational environmental videos for the State Goes Green project, educating members about the properties of CO2 and threats to Amazonian biodiversity.

CUPERTINO FBLA MARKETS DODGEBALL GAME Anthony Kao

On a cold Thursday morning, the Cupertino FBLA leadership team set out to market and sell tickets for the Fremont Union High School District Intra-district Staff Dodge Ball Game on March 11, 2010. Going classroom to classroom to distribute ticket stubs to buyers and plastering posters all over campus, officers garnered valuable marketing experience while supporting a worthy cause; the game’s revenue was donated to victims of the recent Haitian earthquake. As VP of Conferences Vivek Krishnamurthy said, “we are glad to be supporting the people in Haiti. Besides, we get to see our teachers throw rubber balls at each other.” After traversing the halls of Cupertino HS that Thursday and conducting sales during lunch, FBLA officers managed to sell a bevy of tickets. Though this year’s tournament has passed, next year Cupertino FBLA will be at it again.

The Californian • Spring 2010

Central Section Connection SPRING 2010

Good Luck Central Section at the State Leadership Conference.

CSLC Recap:

April 15-18 The Hyatt Hotel, Irvine, California

By: Shelina Noorali Executive Secretary On Saturday, February 27, Monache High School hosted the 2010 Central Section Leadership Conference. The conference had over five hundred and sixty-five members present, and there was an overall of twentyfive chapters that attended. For those members who were not competing or had finished with their events, three workshops were offered with topics ranging from SAT tips to securing a successful future. After the competitive events, everyone was transported over to McDermont Field House in Lindsay, California, where they have over 60,000 square feet of attractions including: indoor surfing, two indoor soccer fields, the world’s second largest laser tag arena, and basketball courts. After lunch, the officers conducted the annual March of Dimes drawing, announced election results, and held chapter-bonding activities during the time allotted for awards. From everyone on the Central Section team, we congratulate each and every one of you and wish you luck on your competitive events!

President’s Corner Hello again Central Section! As we begin the last few months of this FBLA year, all I can say is that this year has surely gone by quickly. For many of us, this may be our last few months with this organization and I strongly urge those of you to make this short amount of time count. Do not hold back or have any regrets. I hope that you have all submitted your California FBLA state projects, including, but not limited to, the FBLA Goes Green chapter and individual projects, the Government Awareness Project, and the Internship Project. Also, if you have attended all of the conferences thus far this year, you can earn a special recognition at the section meeting during the State Leadership Conference just by registering and attending the state conference. Also, I would like to congratulate all of those members who were in attendance at the 2010 Central Section Leadership Conference at Monache High School on February 27, 2010. This year’s conference had an increase of seven chapters from last year and the nearly six hundred attendees contributed to the record number of participants for any Central Section Leadership Conference. I hope everyone also enjoyed his or her time spent at McDermont Field House in Lindsay. I personally was elated to see the avid involvement at McDermont’s laser tag arena, which is California’s largest arena for laser tag. A big thank you also goes out to all of the new or reactivated chapters that attended this year’s section conference. I wish all the incoming officers of the Central Section Team of 2010-2011 good luck. Finally, be sure to check out the California FBLA, Twitter, and Facebook accounts, as well as the CAFBLA forum. Once again, see you all at the State Leadership Conference and good luck in your competitions. Make sure we show the other sections in California that Central Section is superior! http://cafbla.prophpbb.com/ http://twitter.com/CAFBLA

Imran Noorali Central Section President

Don’t forget to check out our new Central Section website for updates, exciting news, and announcements at

www.cacentralfbla.org

The Californian • Spring 2010 Central Section Connection Spring 2010 Page 2

Did you know…?

Patty Ma Recording Secretary x

Our Central Section Vice President, Stephanie Chamberlain’s second cousin works for President Barack Obama.

Our Central Section Executive Secretary, Shelina Noorali plays Pokemon and collects Pokemon stuffed animals!

Our Central Section Public Relations Officer, Judee Sharon, is the biggest book worm I know!

March of Dimes Betsy Figueroa Treasurer

This 2010 Central Section Leadership Conference was like no other. After the competitions, we headed for McDermont Field House, where we had lunch. McDermont Field House is a huge building designed for every person in the family to enjoy surfing, playing basketball or playing soccer in the two of the big indoor soccer fields, enjoying the different games in the arcade, playing laser tag, or even working out in the gym. It was an excellent place to host CSLC and the March of Dimes Raffle. Many of those present were excited to find out who the lucky raffle winner would be! The chapters who sold three-hundred (or more) tickets were Chowchilla, Summerville, Redwood, Los Banos, John Pitman, and Lindsay High Schools. The leading chapter with the most tickets sold was John Pitman with 650 tickets and close behind them, in second place, was Lindsay with 550 tickets sold! The chapters that also participated were Madera, Madera South, Corcoran, Granite Hills, Denair, Tracy, Hilmar, Grace M. Davis and James C. Enochs High Schools. The Grand Prize, a Netbook donated by EZ Data Find from Visalia, was given away to a lucky winner from Lindsay, California, congratulations. The prizes included different kinds of gift cards including one to McDermont Field House, DVD’s, diving rings, glow in the dark bracelets, and much more. Thank You to all those who participated in making a difference this year in the March of Dimes Foundation on behalf of the Central Section FBLA.

CSLC Sweepstakes Winner

Incoming Officers of 2010-2011 Felipe Garcia Historian/Parliamentarian

Congratulations to the Central Section officer candidate in leading aspiring campaigns and being successfully elected by your Central Section chapters. These ladies and gentlemen have been elected and entrusted by your chapters to help you become responsible business leaders. Your new Central Section officer team is as follows:

Redwood Chapter President and Adviser

President: Shelina Noorali, Monache High School Vice President: Felipe Garcia, Corcoran High School Executive Secretary: Jacob Bradley, Monache High School Recording Secretary: Angela Bolanos, Lindsay High School Treasurer: April Maglinte, Los Banos High School Public Relations Officer: Ana Uy, Los Banos High School * Historian/Parliamentarian will be elected at the State Leadership Conference.

Redwood High School FBLA Chapter

DEVANG SAMPAT

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

THE

The Californian • Spring 2010

GOLDPOST

ISSUE 3 SPRING

APRIL 2010

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION SERVING THE GOLD COAST SECTION OF CALIFORNIA FBLA

GOLD COAST SECTION CONFERENCE

Dear Gold Coast, To say that this has been an amazing year would be an understatement. As a section and on a personal level, we have grown in ways I never thought were possible. This year has been challenging to us in many ways; made worse by the effects of the economy on our schools and our families. However, we have all preserved and grown. As a section, we are geographically the smallest in size, but with the largest membership! And our ideas and programs influence other sections to do the same to make FBLA “simply the best.” None of this would be possible, however, without your help. Therefore, I would like to congratulate each and every one of you for helping make Gold Coast the best in the state. I am proud of you and all that you have done to make Gold Coast, in short, awesome. As a senior, I know that the memories I have of FBLA will never leave me, and I am sure that other seniors will agree that the exhilarating experiences it provided were one of a kind. For those who are new or returning to FBLA, I implore you to grab every opportunity you have, and participate in every activity, because I can positively say that it will change your life for the better - I know it definitely changed mine.

Campaigner’s organizing materials

By Devang Sampat A record-breaking of over 900 members and advisers gathered at West Ranch High School for the annual Section Leadership Conference on March 6. Despite the rain, members competed, attended workshops, and enjoyed FBLA Day at Six Flags Magic Mountain. At the opening session, three confident young men enthused sec-

GOING GREEN

tion attendees in the competition for the All -Stars pageant. A unanimous decision by the judges crowded Conner Velarde from Moorpark this year’s All-Star winner. The day concluded at the Magic Moments Theater for

the Awards of Excellence ceremony. Congratulations to Moorpark High School for defending their first place title in Sweepstakes, the longest winning streak in Gold Coast’s history.

A High School poses for a picture with awards onstage at the Section Conference

By Leslie Chang Like health care, climate change is a hard subject to deal with. But eight courageous schools took on the challenge and completed the first ever Go Green Section Project, bringing them pride and recognition at Section, as those select members were awarded with green ribbons for their nametags. Members from Alhambra, Arroyo, Gabrielino, Jefferson Middle, Moorpark, San Marino, South El Monte, and Walnut FBLA chapters made an effort to spread go green awareness around their community. Commend them for their hard work and dedication in saving our earth, and we hope that the success of these chapters will encourage more participants in next year’s project.

The Californian • Spring 2010

CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT

Gabrielino FBLA's March of Dimes Pie-in-the-Face By Jennifer Tran Throughout the month of February, Gabrielino High School FBLA distributed buckets to teachers' classrooms raise money for the March of Dimes. To encourage students to donate in teachers' buckets, the FBLA decided that if its goal of $1000 was met, all participating teachers would be pied in the face with whipped cream. If not, then only the top five teachers were pied. The student who donated the most money to a teacher's bucket also received the privilege of pieing his or her teacher in the face. On March 12, after the donating period ended, Gabrielino FBLA held its fifth annual March of Dimes Pie-in-theFace event, which was an ultimate success. All participating teachers were given March of Dimes paraphernalia such as notebooks, T-shirts, and caps, all donated by the March of Dimes. Not only did Gabrielino FBLA raised a total of nearly $2,000, exceeding their goal of $1,000! Gabrielino High’s Mrs. Steele getting pied in the face by several students.

BECOME A LEADER By Angela Chang Leaders are not born; they are made. Attention all 9th and 10th grade members – here is a grand opportunity for you! Gold Coast is seeking for ambitious members to lead and take this Section to greater heights, and if this is you, apply to be a Leadership Associate today. As a Leadership Associate, you will be assisting the newly elected section officer team in all related section events and will be taught the ropes of being a section officer. Only members currently in 9th and 10th grade are eligible to apply. Application is available on the Gold Coast blog. For more information, please contact Devang Sampat via e-mail at goldcoastpresident@cafbla.org.

Page 2

FUEL YOURSELF FOR THE STATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE By Angela Chang Congratulations to all who qualified to the 2010 California State Leadership Conference (SLC)! Our Section Leadership C o n fe re n c e was highly competitive but it is no comparison to the caliber of difficulty that SLC will be b r i n g i n g t o t h e table. Hopefully, you have been studying since our section conference because SLC is only less than a month away! To help you prepare for the intense competition happening on April 15-18 in Irvine, CA, study at least one hour every night! A good strategy may be to create flashcards and study them for one hour, then take a practice test for another, or even alter between days of studying. If more than one of you from your chapter are competing in the same event, study together! Especially with Spring Break coming up, take advantage of the free time you may now have. Placing at the section level is great, but placing at the state level is FANTASTIC. Who knows, you may even be able to compete at the National Leadership Conference this summer! Don't just study hard, study smart!

Congratulations to the newly elected Gold Coast officer team! Your 2010-2011 Gold Coast Section Officers are: President – Leslie Chang, Arcadia High School VP of Activities – Jennifer Tran, Gabrielino High School VP of Membership – Ava Chang, Diamond Bar High School Secretary-Treasurer – Timothy Sung, Charter Oak High School Public Relations Officer – Steven Pervez, Charter Oak High School

The Californian • Spring 2010 MARCH 2010 | INLAND SECTION VOL 3

President’s Cor ner Hello Inland Section FBLA! As this FBLA year comes to a close, we have a great opportunity for reflection. Take the time to write down some things you have learned this year as a result of being in FBLA. If you are an officer, what would you say to the next team? If you are a member, what do you wish you had taken advantage of? Only with reflection do we improve. So sit down, and make a contribution to improve FBLA. Write down tips you have for competition. Recommend places for professional and inexpensive formal attire. Make a list of good ac-

Calendar Apr. 15-18—State Leadership Conference @ Irvine, CA Jun. 27-30—State Leadership Summit Jul. 13-14—Institute for Leaders @ Nashville, TN Jul. 14-17—National Leadership Conference @ Nashville, TN

tivities for the FBLA Goes Green project. Pass down a letter to brand new members who join next year. Make your impact lasting, and your experience relevant to others. Do not allow mistakes to be repeated. Make your FBLA chapter better every year. I truly believe that reflection makes a difference. That is why I am creating the Inland Section Handbook to pass down to next year's officer team, filled with insider information and tips that I have garnered from experience. Now I am extending the challenge to you. Will you step up to leave a mark too?

Eisenhower members donate to La Petite Academy

Linxi Wu, President Los Osos members clean up a local park to Go Green

Chapter Highlights What have the other chapters of the Inland Section been up to? Found out! On December 15, 2009, Eisenhower FBLA visited the community’s local pre-school, La Petite Academy to deliver candy cane reindeers. Members who attended the Winter Social played numerous of fun games and helped decorate the candy canes. In addition to the treats, Eisen-

G i n ny Wu

hower FBLA held a coloring contest where prizes were given. This event not only was fun for our members, but felt good to give to the community. To participate in the state project FBLA Goes Green, the Los Osos Chapter of FBLA did a park clean up on February 12, 2010. They cleaned up the area in and around the park. Afterwards, they went to one of the member’s houses, and watched an FBLA Goes Green Movie. The

event was fun for its members. On March 22, FBLA members from Centennial and Ayala High School met at Johnny Rockets in Chino Hills for a social and meeting in participation of the Adopta-Chapter project. Members enjoyed eating good food, meeting one another, and talking about the upcoming State Leadership Conference and the events to take place there.

The Californian • Spring 2010 MARCH 2010

Officer Training Time is quickly approaching for out next Officer Training Day (OAT) for Inland Section. OAT Day is a special date put aside by the Inland Section officer team at the beginning of the school year to give advice and share their experiences on leadership and officer duties to all chapter officers in the Inland Section. It is essential that all of next year’s chapter officers be elected before August, as that is the tentative month for this day of training. In addition to officer training, advisers meet with the Inland Section director and other advisers from the section. FBLA members are also welcomed to

attend along with their chapter officers and adviser. Section Officers will present various power point workshops to fellow chapter officers. Not only will chapter officers be able to learn about the essentials of being an officer, but they will be able to network and meet all the other officers from different schools. OAT Day is a fun-filled day and we look forward to seeing you there!

State Energizer As the end of the school year draws near, so does FBLA rapidly approach the 2010 State Leadership Conference in Irvine, California. The recent section conference at Santiago High School on Feb. 27 was a huge success, as new officers for the year 2010 to 2011 were elected and the Inland Honor Society members and competition winners were announced, encouraging top scorers to push even further for the state conference. The election was one of the most heated in Inland history: all officer positions were tried by two or more candidates, except for the historian's. The winners include Catherine Dang for President, Alap Patel for Vice President of Communication/Technology, Janki Kaneria for Vice President of Programs, Natalie Nguyen

Catherine Dang

D av i d M a o

for Secretary, and Charles Aramayo for Parliamentarian. Like the theme of the 2010 Inland Section Conference, members "fueled their future," socializing with different chapters and members from all over Inland region and engaged in a friendly competition, testing each other's skills in various business subjects. The Inland members will once again challenge themselves at the State Leadership Conference coming up on April 16 to 18, by running for state officer positions, by expanding communication and socializing skills, or by aiming for the top place again in their subject tests. We hope to see all members "fuel their future" and represent Inland Section there!

Why FBLA Matters... Many of you might have known from the start that Future Business Leaders of America was the organization for you. Others may not have, but as you gradually progress through the natural stages of this wonderful organization, we hope and expect that you have grown to love FBLA. For those of you who are still wondering... why FBLA? Or why you should even bother with this organization there isn’t one simple answer to this question. FBLA matters for so many different reasons. The FBLA organization is a great way to develop the skills necessary to not only become a great worker in the area of business, but also become a great citizen. This organization helps you develop the skills that are already in you; it brings them out and

As the end of the school year draws near, so does FBLA rapidly approach the 2010 State Leadership Conference in Irvine, California. The recent section conference at Santiago High School on Feb. 27 was a huge success, as new officers for the year 2010 to 2011 were elected and the Inland Honor Society members and competition winners were announced, encouraging top scorers to push even further for the state conference. The election was one of the most heated in Inland history: all officer positions were tried by two or more candidates, except for the historian's. The winners include Catherine Dang for President, Alap Patel for Vice President of Communication/Technology, Janki Kaneria for Vice President of Programs, Natalie Nguyen for Secretary, and Charles Aramayo for

Section Recap - N i c o l e H wa n g Parliamentarian. Like the theme of the 2010 Inland Section Conference, members "fueled their future," socializing with different chapters and members from all ove r I nla n d re gion and engaged in a friendly competition, testing each other's skills in various business subjects. The Inland members will once again challenge themselves at the State Leadership Conference coming up on April 16 to 18, by running for state officer positions, by expanding communication and socializing skills, or by aiming for the top place again in their subject tests. We hope to see all members "fuel their future" and represent Inland Section there!

Chance Har vey

lets you harness them efficiently and productively. When I first joined this organization, I was a soft-spoken person, and now I look back and think about how much FBLA has helped me come out of my shell and be the person I am today. Many of the FBLA family have gone on to do great things in the academic world. Top universities and businesses want the best students and people to study and work with them. FBLA is a great tool to develop the skills necessary to impress them, but it also shows how committed and what type of person you really are. When I first started in FBLA I knew I wanted to go to one of the crème de la crème universities and with the aid and guidance of those involved

in FBLA and the skills that I learned in this great university, I have been accepted in Georgetown University into the McDonough School of Business. FBLA is no doubt one of the reasons why I have been accepted and I attribute my success to it. I can go on all day about how great this organization is and what it can do for you. However, I am limited on time, so in order for you to find out you must truly experience and immerse yourself into all that FBLA has to offer.

The Californian • Spring 2010 ISSUE 3

XBE INFORMED ABOUT THE

SPRING

MAR 26, 2010

LATEST AND GREATEST

FUEL YOUR FUTURE!

X KEEP UP TO DATE WITH

Issue 2 Compiled by: Eric Chee northernreporter@cafbla.org

EVENTS AND CONFERENCES

X STAY CONNECTED

WITH THE FBLA NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION

NORTHERN SECTION

Sutter Union High YOUR OFFICIAL NORTHERN SECTION NEWSLETTER walks away with SWEEPSTAKES 4 yrs in IMPORTANT DATES: a row! –Ben Bogert Over the weekend, Sutter Union High School’s FBLA traveled to Center High School in Antelope, California for the 2009 Northern Section Conference. A majority of the 42 competitors qualified to move onto the State Leadership Conference, which will be held April 15-18 in Anaheim, California. In addition to winning Section Sweepstakes for the 4th consecutive year, Ben Bogert, a sophomore at Sutter, was elected

2010-2011 Northern Section Vice President. This is the first time in 6 years that Sutter has had a Section Officer. The bus ride home from Center High School was filled with nothing but smiles. The Future Business Leaders of America are already starting to prepare for the State Leadership Conference, and hope to travel to Nashville, Tennessee for the National Leadership Conference.

• California State Conference ……………..April 15th-18th National Conference ……………..July 14th-17th

President’s Corner: Miguel Puentes Hello again Northern Section, This has been by far the most amazing FBLA year that I have ever experienced. It is all thanks to you! The members who have made this an unforgettable year. I am proud to say that the Northern Section has surely Fueled their Future with FBLA. I hope to see many of you this year at the 2010 SLC in Irvine. As the year comes to a close I would like to thank one other person who has greatly influenced the leader that I am today. Mrs. Stalley, I still remember that day in spring semester my freshmen year when you approached me and asked me to join this Fu-Blah. I really can’t say how grateful I am that you did. Throughout my high school career you’ve become my adoptive FBLA mother and have taught me all you could about the business world. I will miss all those days spent after school, the drives to random places, and finally I am really going to miss you. I am truly grateful for all you’ve done for the members of FBLA and especially for me. Again this has been an incredible year serving for you. I hope you all succeed in all your life goals. Sincerely

Ÿ Sutter Union High School FBLA

Miguel Puentes Northern Section President

The Californian • Spring 2010 ISSUE 2

XBE INFORMED ABOUT THE LATEST AND GREATEST

SPRING

FUEL YOUR FUTURE!

MAR 24, 2010

Issue 2 Compiled by: Eric Chee northernreporter@cafbla.org

X KEEP UP TO DATE WITH EVENTS AND CONFERENCES

X STAY CONNECTED WITH THE FBLA NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION

NORTHERN SECTION

The Northern Section Conference was a HIT! The Northern Section conference was claimed to be the best section conference in the history of the FBLA Northern Section. From campaigns, hypnotist, dancing, to awards, the conference was full of excitement from beginning to end. We want to congratulate to the new 20102011 Northern Section Officer Team: Anthony Mendoza for president, Ben Bogert for vice president, David Pearson for parliamentarian, Ben Mayes for treasurer, Laura Wells for secretary, and Aaron Yang for public relations. As the competitive event judging took place, The Northern Section had a series of entertainment such hypnotist, Dave Hill, dance crew, 2nd Nature, and as well as a talent show. All participants and spectators were very involved whether it was pretending to ride an imaginary horse, cheering for 2nd Nature, or just laughing at your fellow members on stage. The award ceremony was full of excitement as many chapters dominated the podiums. Congratulations to all members and their awards. The section conference is over but the start of a new era for FBLA Northern has just begun. We look forward in seeing you at states and next year’s Section conference!

Above: Northern members meet and greet with the section candidates at Center High

YOUR OFFICIAL NORTHERN SECTION NEWSLETTER

Mrs. Stalley, Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Barret, Mr. Patterson & Ms. Cummings are Northern FBLA’s super heroes! The Northern Section would like to thank all of the Section advisors that make FBLA a wonderful experience for all of its members. The Northern Section just wouldn’t be the same without the tremendous support these ladies and gentleman give us. Probably the most hard-working advisor is Mrs. Pam Stalley. Not only is she the advisor of the Northern Section Team but also a chapter advisor for Williams High School and Section advisor of 3 officers. Mrs. Stalley has put her dedication into making sure all conferences and events run smoothly to make sure the Northern Section reaches to its greatest potential for FBLA “Staying long after hours helping students accomplish their tasks, going out of her way to assist others who were new at the FBLA Sections at their school, always willingly to answer questions about FBLA testing to the way the voting ballots will be done to where we will be having lunch, and never showing a sign of irritation or tiredness, Mrs. Pamela Stalley, once again not only excelled at her job as the Northern Section Director but also remained fully active as a Board Member and the head advisor at her local school, Williams High School. When she was not focused on her professional duties of a 4-prep course teacher and jammed with FBLA deadlines, Mrs. Stalley made time for herself to enjoy endurance rides on horses, spend time with her family and avoid major fire burns on her brand new birthday present of a remodeled kitchen.” says Kamy Sahota. "Mrs. Wright has been such a great advisor towards the Northern Section. Her dedication towards the team and FBLA is a huge asset to this great year. Unfortunately, this is my last year and I am very grateful for having such a great advisor. She helped out a lot and was always there even though

she was super busy. Thank you Mrs. Wright. We had a great Northern Section Team this year!" says Ashli Yang. “When I first started FBLA I was a shy and timid girl. My Adviser Mrs. Susan Barrett taught me that high school was just the place to leave it all behind. She has motivated me to become involved and this is why I hold this office. I truly appreciate her belief in me, even when times were hard. I just wanted to properly thank her for all of her hard work and her commitment she puts forth for my chapter and I. She beyond no doubt has become like a second mother to me.” says Brenda Ramirez. “Ms. Cummings, I still remember that day in spring semester my freshmen year when you came up to me and asked me to join FBLA. I can't say how thankful I am that you did. Through these past four years of high school you've really become my adoptive FBLA mother by teaching me all that you could about the business world. I’m really going to miss the drives and the many days after school preparing for conferences and meeting, and I am really going to miss you. I’m really grateful for all that you've done for me,” says Anthony Mendoza. “Oh Mr. Patterson… what would I do without you. We didn’t get to spend much time with the Section team together, nevertheless we had a great run for all 4 years in FBLA. I will never forget your sense of humor and your awesome philosophies. You are the man!” says Eric Chee. Thank you Northern Section Advisors! We will miss you next year!

The Californian â&#x20AC;˘ Spring 2010

SPRING 2010

ISSUE VI - Page 1

A Farewell From the President

Thank you for the memorable, unforgettable year By Erik Nguyen President It has been an honor to serve Southern Section this past year. I hope that everyone reading our last newsletter issue was phenomenally experienced LDI South and Southern Section Conference. The experiences have been one that I will not forget, as they have changed my life in so many dimensions. The things that I have learned, but more importantly the people that I have met, have made such an impact. In fact, you and the rest of our members are what make FBLA so great. Without your continued participation, Southern Section would not be as amazing as it currently is. I encourage each and every one of you to remain active and seek numerous opportuniWLHV :KLOH WKH VWDWH DQG VHFWLRQ RIÂżcer teams have done their best to open opportunities, FBLA is designed to allow you to go and explore options for yourselves.

I used to remember when I was in awe of the 6WDWH DQG 6HFWLRQ RIÂżFHUV but now as one of them, I realized that we arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any different. Try to become acquainted with your secWLRQ RIÂżFHUV QH[W \HDU because helping members truly is the goal of FBLA RIÂżFHUV Our next event is the amazing State Leadership Conference (SLC). Within this newsletter you will PHOTO BY MONIQUE EDWARDS receive more information about our plans for an Southern Section Memories amazing SLC held within FBLA Southern Section President Erik Nguyen our own section this year leaves a lasting impression, announcing the (Irvine Regional Hyatt). theme during the Southern Section Conference. 7KH FRQIHUHQFH ZLOO GHÂżnitely be the place to be for anyone in year will be packed with exciting netCalifornia FBLA this year. Good luck working events. Thank you, FBLA, for at State, and we hope to see you at the the memorable year. National Leadership Conference in southernpresident@cafbla.org Nashville, Tennessee. The rest of the

Saying Goodbye... /ĹśĆ&#x161;Ä&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ç&#x20AC;Ĺ?Ä&#x17E;Ç Ç Ĺ?Ć&#x161;Ĺ&#x161; Ç&#x2021;Ĺ˝ĆľĆ&#x152; Ć?Ä&#x17E;ĹśĹ?Ĺ˝Ć&#x152; ^Ä&#x17E;Ä?Ć&#x;Ĺ˝Ĺś KÄ¸Ä?Ä&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ć? Compiled By Emily Tian 3XEOLF 5HODWLRQV 2IÂżFHU 1. What was your most memorable experience working with the Southern Section team? - Judy Park: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Playing games on the car ride to and from the Summer Leadership Summit and before Section Conference.â&#x20AC;? 2. What attributes did you gain throughout the year?

- Erik Nguyen: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This past year has been a blast, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned so much. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve become more organized, reVSRQVLEOH DQG FRQÂżGHQW 3. What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? - Raymond Lee said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the Section level, I am proud WR KDYH KRVWHG WKH ÂżUVW 3UHVLdentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Advisersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day.â&#x20AC;? 4. What do you have to say about each person on the

team? - Sam Yun: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Emilyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long toes (HAHA Emily! Long toes or not, I still love you); Judyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;secret Mongolian heritageâ&#x20AC;? which Raymond discovered using an old tradition that examines grooves in her arms; C.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reDONKulous squeals during the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince midnight premiere; and Mr. R.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s portrayal of an ethnocentric and

southernpr@cafbla.org

very condescending Korean father.â&#x20AC;? 5. What are some parting words you have to next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team? - Emily Tian: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Good luck to the 2010 Southern Section team! We rest well-assured that next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff will continue the longevity of FBLA here in SoCal. Collaborate, network, develop life-long skills, and have fun!â&#x20AC;?

The Californian â&#x20AC;˘ Spring 2010

SPRING 2010

ISSUE VI - Page 2

A Year in Photos

)URP /', WR 6RXWKHUQ 6HFWLRQ KHUH LV D UHWURVSHFWLYH ORRN RI

K d Ä&#x201A;Ç&#x2021; Ĺ˝ĹśÄ&#x201A;ĹśÇ&#x152;Ä&#x201A; ĹśĹśĹ˝ĆľĹśÄ?Ä&#x17E;ĹľÄ&#x17E;ĹśĆ&#x161;

1HZ XSFRPLQJ FKDSWHU RIÂżFHUV DUH \RX UHDG\ WR OHDG" &RPH WR 2$7 'D\ to connect with Southern Section By Samuel Yun Parliamentarian Attention all Future Business Leaders of America! One of the biggest, baddest (this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a word), and FUNNEST GHÂżQLWHO\ QRW D ZRUG leadership/networking events of the year is here! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OAT DAY! And no â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for those of you who are unfamiliar with this annual event â&#x20AC;&#x201C; OAT day is NOT a convenient occasion where you can fraternize with a bunch of dudes or snack

on the much-loved breakfast item. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an acronym f o r â&#x20AC;Ś O ff i c e r- A d v i s e r Training Day! In the summer season, at the end of each FBLA year, all sections host this event for both chapter ofÂżFHUV DQG RWKHU VWXGHQW leaders within your school chapter), as well as chapter advisers, to come together and learn from workshops to help prepare them for the upcoming FBLA year The outgoing section ofÂżFHUV ZLOO WHDP XS ZLWK WKH LQFRPLQJ VHFWLRQ RIÂżFHUV to host awesome activities

for you to participate in! Enjoy delicious food! Participate in fun games and activities! Get a chance to meet and socialize with other FBLA members like yourselves! Learn how to set your FBLA year to a great start! Build your skills as an FBLA leader, and discover what FBLA is truly about! Ok, so am I lavishing a little too much on this event? Not at all! Southern Section is known for hosting the best OAT day each year, EVERY year! And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up to you to make

it happen! Last year was a huge success, and this year will be no different! This year, our exciting OAT day will be held at Troy High School tentatively on Saturday, June 13th. Stay updated for more details, and make sure to register before space runs out! This is an awesome networking and leadership-building opportunity, so make sure not to miss it! Join us for one of the best FBLA events of the year! southernparli@cafbla.org

The Californian â&#x20AC;˘ Spring 2010

SPRING 2010

ISSUE VI - Page 3

'ĹŻĹ?ĹľĆ&#x2030;Ć?Ä&#x17E; Ĺ˝Ä¨ ĎŽĎŹĎĎŹ ^Ĺ˝ĆľĆ&#x161;Ĺ&#x161;Ä&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ĺś ^Ä&#x17E;Ä?Ć&#x;Ĺ˝Ĺś Ĺ˝ĹśÄ¨Ä&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ä&#x17E;ĹśÄ?Ä&#x17E; 0DUFK WK JODPRU DQG JORU\ DW 8&,ÂśV ,UYLQH %DUFOD\ 7KHDWHU By Judy Park Secretary/Treasurer On Saturday, March 6, the Southern Section hosted the annual Section Leadership Conference at the University of California, Irvine. The event started with an exciting opening ceremony, beginning with a video and an LQWURGXFWLRQ RI WKH RIÂżcers. During the ceremony, the chapters showed their spirit through the chapter roll call, candidates for next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s positions at-

tempted to convince voters with speeches, and WKH 6HFWLRQ RIÂżFHUV JDYH various announcements about the rest of the day. After the opening ceremony, all the participants walked over to another building for the awaited competitive events. Whether in written tests or performance events such as Creed and Public Speaking, all the participants did their best to show everything that they have prepared. After the testing ses-

sions, a variety of events took place. Although the Scavenger Hunt was canceled due to the rain, the members had the opportunity to take part in the UCI campus tour and a networking event hosted by PBL. Participants also had time to grab lunch at various restaurants on and off-campus, bond with the members from their chapter and meet people from other schools. At the end of the day, the participants returned the auditorium for the Awards Ceremony

in which the competitive event winners, along with WKH QHZ VHFWLRQ RIÂżFHUV were announced. The day came to a close with the announcement of the sweepstake winners and a show of gratitude to the advisers who made the event possible. As part of the Southern Section board, I would like to thank everyone who participated, and congratulations to all the winners. See you at State! southernsectreas@ cafbla.org

Ć&#x2030;Ć&#x152;Ĺ?ĹŻ Ç Ä&#x201A;ĹŹÄ&#x17E;ĹśĹ?ĹśĹ? Ä&#x201A;Ć&#x161; ^Ć&#x161;Ä&#x201A;Ć&#x161;Ä&#x17E; >Ä&#x17E;Ä&#x201A;Ä&#x161;Ä&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ć?Ĺ&#x161;Ĺ?Ć&#x2030; Ĺ˝ĹśÄ¨Ä&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ä&#x17E;ĹśÄ?Ä&#x17E; Start your engines for the conference of a lifetime!

By Raymond Lee Vice President Frankly, you will leave high school with a handful of memories that will last with you forever--your relationships, teachers, senior year and the FBLA State Conference. In the four short days, you will walk by students of different ages, ethnic origin, gender, race, politiFDO DIÂżOLDWLRQ QDWLRQDOLW\ DQG VRFLDO standing, but you will be united under one great organization: FBLA. Socializing will be an absolute

must in this jumble of the brightest future leaders in America. Expect to see the elite-representing team of VWXGHQWV ZKR TXDOLÂżHG WR FRPH You will walk among the names and faces that will shape the world. You will stand in front of a powerful audience of peers who have still not lost their youthful energy and enthusiasm. You will experience a world that people only realize away from the bindings of their home, in seats full of radiant teenagers and a hotel completely full of students.

In this professional environment, so many come together to OHDUQ WKLQJV WKDW ZLOO LQĂ&#x20AC;XHQFH WKH futureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vital decisions. So donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take this conference lightly because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be amazed at how meaningIXO VPDOO WDON DQG ÂżUVW LPSUHVVLRQV can make or break future business connections. Of course, aside from making your mark, this is a time to enjoy and have fun, so loosen up for one of the most engaging and enthusiastic conferences of the year. VRXWKHUQYS#FDIEOD RUJ