January Edition of the Mountain Plains Regional Newsletter

MT. PLAINS NEWSLETTER -- JANUARY 2019 EDITION

COMPETITIVE EVENT PREP

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MOUNTAIN PLAINS VP'S MESSAGE

MY FBLA JOURNEY ARTICLES

BAA & CSA WINNERS 2018

COMPETITIVE EVENT QUIZ

COMPETITION EXPERIENCE ARTICLES

MOUNTAIN PLAINS VP'S MESSAGE

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I'M SO EXCITED TO BE KICKING OFF THE 2019 YEAR WITH YOU ALL. AS WE HEAD INTO COMPETITION SEASON, THE COUNCIL & I WANTED TO GIVE Y'ALL A LITTLE ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR EVENTS OR EVEN HELP YOU PICK AN EVENT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE STILL UNDECIDED. THIS MONTHS MOUNTAIN PLAINS NEWSLETTER IS SHORTER THAN NORMAL BECAUSE WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU A SHORT AND SIMPLE COMPETITIVE EVENT GUIDE. WE WILL KICK OFF STATE UPDATES & LOCAL CHAPTER SPOTLIGHTS AGAIN IN FEBRUARY. MEANWHILE, I HOPE THIS COMPETITION GUIDE CAN HELP YOU AND PROVIDE YOU WITH SOME VALUABLE RESOURCES AS YOU PREPARE FOR REGIONALS OR EVEN STATE COMPETITIONS. YOU WILL ALSO FIND SOME ARTICLES FROM YOUR VERY OWN COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THEIR EXPERIENCES PREPARING FOR EVENTS AND COMPETING. WE ARE EVEN FEATURING THE WINNERS OF THE BAA & CSA AWARDS FROM THE FIRST HALF OF THE MEMBERSHIP YEAR. I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE HAD A GREAT WINTER BREAK AND ARE READY TO KILL IT THIS COMPETITION SEASON. EACH OF OUR MOUNTAIN PLAINS MEMBERS CONTINUALLY IMPRESS ME WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP, SERVICE, & KNOWLEDGE AND THIS IS WHY IM CONFIDENT YOU ALL ARE GOING TO FIND UNIQUE WAYS TO EXECUTE YOUR EVENTS THIS SEASON, LEADING TO YOUR SUCCESS. GOOD LUCK IN EACH OF YOUR EVENTS AND DON'T FORGET TO SMILE AND BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR WORK! MADELYN REMINGTON FBLA MOUNTAIN PLAINS REGION VICE PRESIDENT

My FBLA FBLA Journey Journey My Drake Vorderstrasse, Mountain Plains Executive Assistant "JOINING FBLA WAS LIKELY THE MOST IMPACTFUL DECISION THAT I’VE MADE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE UP TO THIS POINT. WHEN I FIRST SIGNED UP TO BECOME A MEMBER, I DIDN’T THINK THAT MUCH OF IT. I HAD A BASIC IDEA OF WHAT THE ORGANIZATION WAS, BUT I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT IT WOULD END UP HAVING ON ME. I THOUGHT I’D JUST SHOW UP TO MY LOCAL CHAPTER MEETINGS AND GO TO THE SOME OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS THAT INTERESTED ME. ABOUT TWO MONTHS INTO MY FRESHMAN YEAR, THE VOLUNTEER AT MY LOCAL CHAPTER BEGAN TO PUSH ME MORE THAN I HAD REALLY EVER BEEN UP TO THAT POINT. SHE TOLD ME THAT BEING ACTIVE AND ATTENDING THE STATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE WAS THE ONLY WAY THAT I WAS REALLY GOING TO GET ANYTHING OUT OF FBLA. I DECIDED TO HEED HER ADVICE. I HAD LITTLE TO LOSE AND SO MUCH TO GAIN FROM BECOMING A MORE ACTIVE MEMBER IN FBLA. I PARTICIPATED IN OUR FUNDRAISERS, BLOOD DRIVES, COMMITTEES, AND MORE CONCESSIONS STANDS THAN I CAN COUNT. I WAS MOSTLY DOING ALL OF THIS WITH THE GOAL OF EARNING ENOUGH POINTS FROM MY LOCAL CHAPTER IN ORDER TO QUALIFY TO SLC, NOTHING MORE AND NOTHING LESS. WHEN I FINALLY EARNED MY SPOT ON THE BUS TO THE CONFERENCE, I WAS ECSTATIC. ALL OF THIS HARD WORK FINALLY PAID OFF. I HAD NO CLUE WHAT I WOULD ACTUALLY DO AT STATE, BUT IT WAS BASICALLY A MINI VACATION WITH SOME RANDOM KIDS FROM MY LOCAL CHAPTER, SO I WAS PRETTY EXCITED. I HAD LITTLE HOPE IN ACTUALLY PLACING AT STATE, BUT I WAS EXCITED FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. I TOOK ALL MY TESTS AND WAS PRETTY SURE I BOMBED ALL OF THEM. I WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THAT I HADN’T PREPARED, BUT I TOOK A LITTLE PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT I AT LEAST TRIED MY BEST DURING THE ACTUAL TEST, WHICH IS MORE THAN MANY KIDS DO ANYWAY. THE ONLY TEST THAT I FELT I HAD A CHANCE OF DOING WELL ON WAS INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS. I HAD TAKEN A CLASS MY FRESHMAN YEAR THAT ENCOMPASSED PLENTY OF THE INFORMATION THAT WAS ON THE TEST, BUT I STILL WASN’T VERY CONFIDENT. TO MY SURPRISE, I WOULD BE AWARDED WITH FOURTH PLACE OUT OF THE FOUR HUNDRED MEMBERS WHO COMPETED. IT WAS SUCH A HUMBLING MOMENT. I HAD NEVER BEEN SOMEONE WHO WAS GOOD AT COMPETING, SO THIS MOMENT MADE ME REALIZE THAT FBLA MIGHT BE A PLACE I BELONG. THE NEXT YEAR I TOOK FBLA FAR MORE SERIOUSLY. I HAD A DREAM OF POSSIBLY TAKING MY ACTIVITY IN FBLA TO THE NEXT LEVEL. I RAN FOR LOCAL OFFICE, NATIONAL COUNCIL, AND EVEN STATE OFFICE. I HAD DEVELOPED SO MANY FANTASTIC RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH FBLA, AND I KNEW THAT IF I CONTINUED WORKING WITH THOSE AROUND ME, I’D BE ABLE TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON FBLA THAT WAS BIGGER THAN JUST ONE ARTICLE CAN DESCRIBE. THIS YEAR, I’VE HAD THE HONOR OF SERVING AS THE NEBRASKA FBLA STATE VICE PRESIDENT AND MOUNTAIN PLAINS EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT. IT’S BEEN A JOURNEY THAT I’LL NEVER FORGET. I’VE MET PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE BECAUSE OF FBLA, AND I CAN’T THANK THIS ORGANIZATION ENOUGH. BEFORE FBLA, I HAD LITTLE IDEA AS TO WHAT I WANTED TO DO. I WAS A SCARED FRESHMAN WITH A LOT OF POTENTIAL, BUT VERY LITTLE DIRECTION. THROUGH VARIOUS DIFFERENT PROJECTS AND EXPERIENCES, I’VE FOUND A PASSION FOR TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA. I HAD GOALS BEFORE THIS POINT, BUT I’M FINALLY BEGINNING TO FIND A SPECIFIC PATH THAT I’M WILLING TO TREAD DOWN. SOME OF THE BEST MOMENTS AND IDEAS OF MY LIFE HAVE ALL BEEN BORN FROM THE ONE DECISION TO BECOME A MORE ACTIVE FBLA MEMBER. IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM MY STORY, LET IT BE THAT YOU SHOULD STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE A LITTLE BIT. SOMETIMES THE SMALLEST RISKS OR OPPORTUNITIES TURN OUT TO BE THE MOST IMPACTFUL."

My My FBLA FBLA Journey Journey Kennedy Shereck, Mountain Plains Co-Membership Director

"WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN FBLA JOURNEY THAT HAS GOTTEN US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY, AND EACH ONE IS DIFFERENT. MY FBLA JOURNEY BEGAN WHEN I WAS A FRESHMAN, AND MY FIRST YEAR INVOLVED IN THE ORGANIZATION WAS INCREDIBLE. I WAS BROUGHT INTO FBLA BY A SENIOR AND STATE OFFICER NAMED PAIGE. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO OR WHAT FBLA WAS, BUT PAIGE TOOK ME UNDER HER WING AND GOT ME REALLY INVOLVED. SHE AND I WORKED TOGETHER ON OUR AMERICAN ENTERPRISE PROJECT AND PRESENTED IT AT THE 2017 NORTH DAKOTA STATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE. I WILL NEVER FORGET HOW I FELT WHEN I HEARD OUR CHAPTER’S NAME CALLED FOR 2ND PLACE. OUR HARD WORK HAD PAID OFF AND WE HAD QUALIFIED TO COMPETE AT NATIONALS! I OFTEN SAY THIS IS MY FAVORITE CONFERENCE THAT I HAVE EVER ATTENDED BECAUSE THIS WAS WHEN I FIRST EXPERIENCED WHAT FBLA REALLY IS. MY FIRST SLC WAS A DEFINING MOMENT IN MY FBLA JOURNEY, AND AFTERWARDS, I WAS COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS UNTIL THE NEXT CONFERENCE IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA. I HAD NO IDEA HOW BIG FBLA WAS UNTIL ATTENDING MY FIRST NLC. SEEING ALL THE STATES, COUNTRIES, AND MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE WAS MIND BLOWING. THE EXPERIENCE MADE ME AMBITIOUS AND WANT TO DO SO MUCH MORE IN FBLA. IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR, I BECAME OUR CHAPTER’S PRESIDENT AND DECIDED TO RUN FOR AND OBTAINED THE NORTH DAKOTA STATE OFFICE OF REGION I VICE PRESIDENT. JOINING FBLA IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME. NOT ONLY HAS IT PLAYED A MAJOR PART IN DECIDING MY CAREER PATH IN BUSINESS, BUT HELPED ME TO MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH SO MANY PHENOMENAL PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY THIS PAST SUMMER AT NLC IN BALTIMORE, MD. I ALSO COULD NOT BE MORE GRATEFUL FOR HOW INVITING THIS ORGANIZATION IS. FOR EXAMPLE, AT ALBUQUERQUE NFLC, I WAS THE ONLY NORTH DAKOTAN IN ATTENDANCE; HOWEVER, I NEVER FELT LIKE AN OUTSIDER BECAUSE OF ALL THE WELCOMING CHAPTERS THAT WERE THERE. LASTLY, I AM TRULY ECSTATIC TO BE A PART OF THE NATIONAL MOUNTAIN PLAINS REGION COUNCIL. SERVING FBLA IS A TRUE PASSION OF MINE AND I APPRECIATE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN AND GROW AS A LEADER. I AM SO THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT FBLA HAS DONE FOR ME, AND I ONLY HOPE I CAN INSPIRE OTHERS THROUGH THIS ORGANIZATION JUST AS I WAS."

BAA & CSA WINNERS 2018

Congratulations to our Mountain Plains winners!

"WHAT EVENT IS RIGHT FOR ME?" COMPETITIVE EVENT QUIZ Brought to you by the Mountain Plains Membership Directors

JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS Brought to you by the FBLA National Secretary & the National Secretary's Council

BRINGING YOU THE MONTHLY NATIONAL AND STATE PROGRAMS YOU CAN GET INVOLVED IN! STAY UP TO DATE WITH FBLACONNECT.ORG JANUARY 1 - MARCH 1 ACTION AWARENESS BEGINS JANUARY 11-13 STATE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT—RADISSON HOTEL DOWNTOWN IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH JANUARY 15 MARCH OF DIMES GRANT: APPLICATION DEADLINE JANUARY 22 SPRING STOCK MARKET GAME BEGINS JANUARY 28 LIFESMARTS SPRING COMPETITION BEGINS YEAR-ROUND CHAPTER PROGRAMS: BIG TEN - TOP TEN LOCAL CHAPTERS OF EACH WEEK WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE RECOGNIZED AT THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 100 PERCENT CLASS PARTICIPATION - AWARDED TO CHAPTER WITH 100% PARTICIPATION MEMBERSHIP ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - AWARDED TO LOCAL FBLA CHAPTERS THAT INCREASE MEMBERSHIP OVER LAST YEAR FBLA OUTSTANDING CHAPTER - CHAPTERS MUST COMPLETE TWENTY (20) MEMBERSHIP, COMMUNITY SERVICE, AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES YEAR-ROUND INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS: MEMBERSHIP MANIA - RECRUIT 10 NEW MEMBERS AND RECEIVE AN AWARD BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS (BAA) - RECOGNIZES FBLA MEMBERS FOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN A VARIETY OF CAREER-RELATED PROJECTS, GOALS, AND PROGRAMS COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS - RECOGNIZES MEMBERS WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY SERVICE

FBLA ML L.E.A.D. Tips Vyda Nguyen, Mountain Plains Middle Level liaison

DEADLINE for LEAD: March 1st Website for more info!: https://www.fblapbl.org/middle-level/recognitionawards/lead/bronze/ BRONZE LEVEL: 1. Get involved with your middle chapter and spread the word!

2. Be creative with the activities 3. Educating yourself on some aspects of business will make the activities easier to accomplish 4. Find local community services and projects to participate in. Teachers or organizations can be great resources to provide you with some services!

SILVER LEVEL: 1. Become an active member in your chapter 2. Research on your choice of FBLA-Middle Level educational programs, conferences, or competitive events that interest you 3. Working in a group or team will make these activities easier to achieve 4. Work on an activity during your free time!

GOLD LEVEL: 1. Get to know some high school FBLA members!

This will be a great opportunity to learn from them 2. Remember to record moments during your FBLA journey as it occurs whether it’s in pictures or writing them in your notes. This will make writing essays easier because you’ll have all of your ideas already.

3. Have chapter get togethers in order to provide time to work on these activities

Event Experiences Sadie Shriver, Mountain Plains Co-Membership Director

" In summer of 2018, I got the opportunity to compete and represent Nebraska FBLA at the national level. Going into my sophomore year, I never thought I would be as successful as I was.

My freshman year of highschool, I wasn’t very involved in FBLA. As a result, I didn’t get to compete at the State Leadership Conference. But, after seeing how much fun my friends had, I decided that I was going to do whatever it took to get to SLC. So, I became more involved and, as a result, was able to attend the Nebraska State Leadership Conference in the spring of 2018. Going into the conference, I had no expectations of breaking finals, or even making it to nationals. I ended up third in Introduction to Public Speaking, which meant I had earned myself a round trip ticket to Baltimore, Maryland. I was so excited for the journey that was to come.

Attending nationals isn’t all about the competition. There are so many things around the city to see and friends to be made. Before the conference started, we got to tour Washington D.C. and downtown Baltimore. After we had our fun, it was time to get down to business.

Everyone told me how the performance space would be different from anything I had ever seen before. The performance space was a HUGE room that had curtains set up, separating it into “cubicles” and there was easily over 100 people performing all at once. To say it was overwhelming would be an understatement. I was extremely nervous and overwhelmed. In turn, my nerves get to me, and I didn’t give my best performance. Which caused me to not break finals, and I was pretty upset with myself. The Awards of Excellence Ceremony began, and there I sat, sulking over the fact that I didn’t give my best performance and that I wouldn’t be on stage. But, my attitude quickly changed when I got to see fellow Nebraska member, and friend Ethan Goldfish Vinson on stage receiving 7th in the same event I competed in. Seeing the smile on Ethan’s face walking up to receive his award made me realize, it’s not all about winning. Yes, winning is always a nice perk. But, at the end of the day, it was just as amazing to watch a friend be successful, as well as share in their happiness and success.

Most people in my shoes would walk on the plane thinking they came home, “empty handed”.

But, to me, I came home with irreplaceable experiences, knowledge, and everlasting new friendships. Which, is just as good as a shiny glass trophy and a three hundred dollar check. So, if you’re lucky enough to compete at NLC 2019 in the beautiful city of San Antonio, Texas just remember, even if you leave “empty handed” you gained knowledge, a new competitive edge, and memories that will last a lifetime. "

Event Experiences Akshay Sharma, Mountain Plains Co-Communications Director

"AS A FRESHMAN, I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER ATTENDING MY FIRST FBLA COMPETITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN. IT WAS A RELATIVELY SMALL REGIONAL EVENT AND HONESTLY, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT. THE WHOLE IDEA OF THERE BEING A “BUSINESS COMPETITION” WAS SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW AND DIFFERENT. I HAD ALWAYS CONCEPTUALIZED BUSINESS AS BEING A SKILL-SET THAT YOU APPLY TOWARDS SOME END, AND HONESTLY, DID NOT UNDERSTAND HOW A COMPETITION WOULD HELP ME DEVELOP THIS TRADE. BUT, AS MY COMPETITION EXPERIENCE UNFOLDED, MY INITIAL CONCEPTION OF THIS UNIQUE ASPECT OF FBLA WAS GOING TO BE, AT THE VERY LEAST, SERIOUSLY CHALLENGED FOR THE BETTER. DESPITE MY HOPES, I DID NOT DO WELL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN’S ABC COMPETITION. I WATCHED WITH DISMAY AS MY EVENTS WERE ANNOUNCED AND MY NAME EVADED RECOGNITION. PERHAPS THE REASON WAS MY OWN PREPARATION, FOR I PRETTY MUCH STUMBLED INTO THE EVENT WITH NO KNOWLEDGE. I FIGURED THE NEXT COMPETITION AT PERU STATE WOULD GO BETTER, BUT EVEN THAT ONE YIELDED THE SAME RESULT: UTTER DISAPPOINTMENT. AS I TRUDGED BACK HOME, I WONDERED WHAT I WAS DOING WRONG, BUT I COULD NOT ARRIVE AT ANY ANSWER. EXASPERATED, I DECIDED TO CONTINUE AND HOPEFULLY, FIND SOME SUCCESS AT THE NEXT EVENT: STATE. STATE CAME AND WENT, AND I RECEIVED MIXED RESULTS. ON ONE HAND, I HAD WON SOME AWARDS BUT HAD NOT COHERENTLY QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS. REGARDLESS, THOUGH, I WAS HAPPY. IT WAS DEFINITELY A BIG SHIFT FROM MY PREVIOUS PERFORMANCE AND I HAD NO REASON TO BE MAD. BUT THERE WAS STILL MORE THAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE NEXT WEEK. YOU SEE, THERE WEREN’T ENOUGH PEOPLE WHO WISHED TO COMPETE IN INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS, SO I HAD THE ABILITY TO GO TO NLC IN THAT EVENT. OF COURSE, I TOOK THE CHANCE, AND I FEEL THAT THIS WAS A SIGNIFICANT TURNING POINT IN MY COMPETITION JOURNEY. AS SOON AS SUMMER STARTED, I HIT THE BOOKS, OR MORE ACCURATELY: THE RESOURCES. DAY AFTER DAY WAS SPENT PORING THROUGH GUIDES IN INVESTOPEDIA OR MESSAGING PREVIOUS WINNERS FOR ADVICE. IT WAS LIKE I WAS SELF-STUDYING AN ENTIRE COURSE’S SUBJECT MATERIAL AND COULDN’T STOP. WHEN NATIONALS CAME AROUND, I DIDN’T EXPECT MUCH BECAUSE I WAS AWARE OF THE INTENSIVE COMPETITION. HOWEVER, IT WAS TRULY AMAZING TO SAY THAT I GOT 4TH IN INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS: A RESULT WHICH WOULD CATALYZE MY PERFORMANCE OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS IN FBLA. THE REST, OF COURSE, IS ALL HISTORY. OVER THESE LAST TWO YEARS, I’VE PLACED 8TH IN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS IN ANAHEIM AND WAS THE CHAMPION IN INSURANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT LAST SUMMER IN BALTIMORE. MY PERFORMANCE IN THESE EVENTS AT NATIONALS CAN PROBABLY BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE PASSION I GRADUALLY DEVELOPED FOR COMPETING IN FBLA. COMPETITIONS TRULY BECAME MORE THAN JUST WINNING A TROPHY; THEY BECAME AN INTENSIVE LEARNING PROCESS WHERE I WAS CONTINUALLY CAPTIVATED BY FBLA’S EDUCATIONAL BRILLIANCE. IN OTHER WORDS, WINNING BECAME AN AFTERTHOUGHT, SHROUDED BY MY NEWFOUND LOVE FOR LEARNING ABOUT BUSINESS. IN THE END, I’M HAPPY TO SAY THAT DESPITE MY INITIAL STRUGGLES WITHIN FBLA’S EDUCATIONAL ATMOSPHERE, I WAS ABLE TO FIND SUCCESS. AS I REFLECT ON THESE PAST THREE YEARS, I KNOW THAT MY INTENSIVE NAVIGATION OF INVESTOPEDIA, FBLA’S ONLINE COMPETITION STANDARDS, AND PRACTICE TESTS REALLY DEVELOPED MY ACUMEN FOR THE COMPETITIVE PART OF FBLA. I WANT TO STRESS FOR ALL MEMBERS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE PRETTY OBVIOUS: DILIGENTLY UTILIZING RESOURCES WILL TAKE YOU FAR. BUT, AST THE SAME TIME, YOU SHOULD VIEW FBLA’S COMPETITION AS TRULY BEING ANOTHER FACET OF ITS EDUCATIONAL POWER. ENGAGE YOURSELF WITHIN THOSE PEDAGOGICAL RESOURCES AND THAT WILL TRULY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE."

Event Experiences Kaylie Reese, Mountain Plains Co-Communications Director

"AS JUST A FRESHMAN COMING INTO HIGH SCHOOL, I HAD NO IDEA THE PLACES FBLA WOULD TAKE ME. I REMEMBER SEEING SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS OF ALL OF THE UPPERCLASSMEN WHO HAD WENT TO ANAHEIM FOR NLC 2017 AND BEING SO JEALOUS! I THOUGHT TO MYSELF “YEAH IT WOULD BE COOL TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF ME ACTUALLY GOING TO NATIONALS?” I HAVE NEVER THOUGHT SO DIFFERENTLY. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, I GOT REALLY ACTIVE IN MY CHAPTER, SO MY ADVISOR DECIDED TO PUT ME ON THE INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS PRESENTATION TEAM. WITH ONLY BEING IN MY FIRST YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, I WAS SO NERVOUS TO COMPETE! MY PARTNER AND I WORKED SO HARD ON PREPARING OURSELVES FOR THE KANSAS STATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE. I DO NOT THINK I HAVE EVER PUT SO MUCH TIME AND DEDICATION INTO ONE THING. THIS PRESENTATION WAS OUR PRIDE AND JOY, SO WE WANTED IT TO BE AMAZING, AND IT WAS. WE ENDED UP TAKING FIRST PLACE, WHICH MEANT A PLANE TICKET TO BALTIMORE FOR NLC 2018. I WAS SO EXCITED. NLC WAS NOTHING LIKE I COULD HAVE IMAGINED. THERE WERE SO MANY AMAZING PEOPLE WHO I GOT TO NETWORK WITH. NOT ONLY DID I GET TO MEET A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT I GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THE FIRST CITY ON MY BUCKET LIST: WASHINGTON D.C.!

ALTHOUGH I HAD A GREAT TIME OUTSIDE OF THE COMPETITION PART OF NLC, MY PARTNER AND I HAD TO GET FOCUSED. AFTER ALL, OUR ONE GOAL WAS TO MAKE FINALS. AFTER WE GOT OUT OF OUR PRESENTATION, MY PARTNER AND I BOTH AGREED THAT IT WAS THE BEST WE COULD HAVE DONE, AND THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IN THE END, WE DID OUR BEST. FINALLY, AT 5:00 AM, WE GOT THE RESULTS THAT WE HAD MADE IT TO FINALS! THIS WAS THE BEST NEWS WE COULD HAVE RECEIVED. I REMEMBER BURSTING INTO MY PARTNERS ROOM AND JUMPING ALL OVER HER BED BECAUSE WE WERE ECSTATIC. DURING OUR FINAL PRESENTATION, A COUPLE OF UNEXPECTED THINGS HAPPENED BEFOREHAND, BUT WE STILL NAILED IT. AGAIN, WE HAD KNOWN WE DID OUR BEST AND THAT WE WERE VERY VERY PROUD OF EACH OTHER. MY PARTNER AND I RECEIVED 14TH PLACE LATER THAT NIGHT. IT WAS AWESOME KNOWING THAT MY WHOLE FAMILY, GRANDPARENTS AND ALL, WERE AT HOME LIVE STREAMING, SO EXCITED FOR ME. NLC WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET. I AM SO EXCITED TO HOPEFULLY GO TO SAN ANTONIO THIS YEAR TO COMPETE AGAIN."

Event Experiences Kennedy Shereck, Mountain Plains Co-Membership Director

"PREPARED PRESENTATION EVENTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY FAVORITE TO COMPETE IN. ROLE PLAYS AND IMPROMPTU SPEAKING HAVE NEVER BEEN MY STRONG SUIT; I PREFER TO BE PREPARED. LAST YEAR, I COMPETED AT OUR NORTH DAKOTA SLC AND NLC IN INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC SPEAKING. WHEN WRITING MY SPEECH, I CHOSE TO WRITE ABOUT THINGS THAT I COULD RELATE TO OR TELL STORIES ABOUT. FOR ME, IT ALWAYS COMES MORE NATURALLY TO SPEAK ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OR ENCOUNTERS; THIS ALSO MAKES THE WRITING PROCESS MUCH EASIER. TO ENSURE I WAS USING PROPER GRAMMAR AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE, I ASKED MY ENGLISH TEACHER TO REVIEW IT. AFTER I HAD WRITTEN MY SPEECH, I BEGAN PRESENTING IT TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN. IT HELPS IMMENSELY TO PRACTICE IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE. MEMBERS OF MY CHAPTER HAVE MANY TIMES PRESENTED TO ADULTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. THEY WOULD THEN PROVIDE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND ADVICE ON HOW WE COULD IMPROVE OUR PROJECTS. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES WHO ARE WILLING AND HAPPY TO HELP, WE JUST HAVE TO ASK FOR IT. ANOTHER METHOD I USED FOR PRACTICING WAS DELIVERING MY SPEECH IN FRONT OF A MIRROR OR VIDEO CAMERA. THAT WAY, I COULD SEE FOR MYSELF HOW MY FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, TONE, AND GESTURES WOULD BE PERCEIVED. COMPETING AT SLC WAS MUCH LESS THREATENING THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. IT WAS JUST ME, THE JUDGES, AND THE TIMEKEEPER. BEWARE OF THE FACT THAT THERE WILL BE BACKGROUND NOISES, BUT JUST REMEMBER, AS LONG AS YOU STAY FOCUSED ON THE JUDGES, THEY WILL STAY FOCUSED ON YOU. PRIOR TO THE CONFERENCE, AS WELL AS IN THE MINUTES BEFORE I COMPETED, I USED THE VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUE. I JUST PICTURED MYSELF DELIVERING A SMOOTH PRESENTATION, AND IT REALLY CALMED MY NERVES. THE MORE CONFIDENT YOU ARE WALKING IN, THE BETTER YOU WILL FEEL AND PERFORM. I QUALIFIED FOR NLC BY RECEIVING 1ST PLACE, BUT I KNEW I HAD TO TAKE THE JUDGES’ COMMENTS INTO ACCOUNT TO FURTHER IMPROVE MY SPEECH. ONCE I HAD FINISHED REVISING AND REMEMORIZING MY SPEECH, I BEGAN MY PRACTICING METHODS ONCE AGAIN. THIS TIME, I DID SOMETHING NEW. I SAID MY SPEECH TO MYSELF WHENEVER I GOT THE CHANCE. FOR EXAMPLE, THIS SUMMER I WAS LIFEGUARD, SO WHEN I WAS AT THE POOL, I WOULD SAY MY SPEECH OVER AND OVER WHILE I SAT IN THE LIFEGUARD CHAIR. NOT ONLY DID THIS HELP ME BY MAKING MY SPEECH MORE FLUENT, BUT ALSO KEPT ME MORE ALERT AT MY JOB. IN MY OPINION THERE WASN’T MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMPETING AT SLC TO COMPETING AT NLC. IT WAS, AGAIN, NON-THREATENING. THE GOAL IS TO FEEL CONFIDENT IN WHAT YOU HAVE PREPARED, BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS THAT YOU HAVE FUN."

THANKS FOR READING! WE'RE SO EXCITED TO

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