AIM FOR | THE SUCCESSS WIN
ABOUT
NATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM
The FBLA National Awards Program— commonly referred to as
the FBLA competitive events— serves to recognize and reward students who are able demonstrate their skills in business and career-related areas. Arguably one of the largest programs in FBLA, the programs contains a large range of participants from middle school to high school.
Established on the premise of preparing students for suc-
cessful careers in business, the FBLA National Awards Program provides students with the opportunity to apply real world concepts to simple tasks and activities through competition.
Individual
Team
Chapter
The events offered to the competitors cater specifically to
their skills. There are events for those who prefer the mechanics of English over mathematics and events for those who display interest in technology as compared to public speaking.
Students are given the opportunity to choose from a variety of
events such as roleplay, objective, prejudged, production, and speaking events. Other events include open events— an online testing event open to those present at the National Leadership Conference— and pilot events— a new event being added to the competitive events program.
Students are able to compete in three conferences based on
their respective events: Section Leadership Conference, State Leadership Conference, and National Leadership Conference. Competitors are able to attend conferences based on how well they do in their previous events; top competitors from Section move on to State and top competitors for State advance onto Nationals.
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Individual events encourage skills revolving around leadership and career development. At the same time, these events foster independence in students by strengthening the confidence in themselves and their work. Individual events range from objective events to prejudged projects. These events allow members to pursue their passions while putting their knowledge in the field and individual skills to the test. Most individual events, specifically objective events, are limited to six representatives from each school for each event. Individual events are highly recommended for those who prefer to work independently and are interested in developing and or showcasing their own skills.
Team events promote collaboration and encourage out of the box thinking. Members are able to compete by taking collaborative objective tests or submitting prejudged projects. These events are meant to resemble the collaborative environment a business leader will be approached with in the real world on a daily basis. Working collectively and collaboratively with one another, students learn different skills ranging from graphic design to website development. Teams competing are limited to three people maximum per team, and one team per event. Team events are recommended for those who favor working with others towards creating and developing more elaborate projects.
Chapter events recognize overall achievement and performance in chapter management and growth. Unlike the numerous events that individual and team events have, there are only six chapter events: American Enterprise Project, Community Service Project, Local Chapter Annual Business Report, and Partnership with Business Project. These events, however, are limited to one representative per chapter for each event and can only be done by teams of two to three or individually. Chapter events are recommended for chapters who want to demonstrate their chapter’s capabilities and for chapters who want to put themselves out 3 there.
AIM FOR | SUCCESS
DR. KIETH CHEN
Forty-seven year old Educator at UCLA. Has been a part of multiple divisions related to FBLA and has had many opportunities to interact with the business world. His experience in FBLA has ultimately led to where he is now.
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1. DR. M. KEITH CHEN, TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT
3. WHY DID YOU BECOME AN FBLA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MEMBER?
My story’s not long; it’s actually pretty ordinary. I started my education in a small town in Michigan and continued my education at Harvard before getting here. I’ve had brief encounters with several opportunities. I’m still learning about what life has to offer, but I’m teaching what I learn as I go along.
Becoming a Professional Development Member wasn’t that difficult of a choice to make for me. I was a part of FBLA and FBLAPBL previously and becoming a Professional Development Member was an obvious choice. I mainly just wanted to continue to be associated with the club that’s been such a consistent part of my life.
2. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT FBLA?
4. HOW HAS FBLA IMPACTED YOU?
I support everything this club has to offer and everything that it represents since it’s largely beneficial to the younger generations. It really opens their eyes to the real world and exposes them to opportunities early on in their life. It’s a very unique club in the sense that it in all areascompetition, volunteer, and more. I definitely think that FBLA should be
FBLA has had an incredible amount of influence on me since I joined my junior year at Cupertino High School. It’s the reason why I teach business today at UCLA. FBLA gave me the confidence I needed for the real world and I want to inspire those around me to strive for their goals and make good decisions. I definitely would not be the successful professor I am today if I had never joined FBLA.
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AIM FOR | NATIONALS
2018 NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
BALTIMORE, MD Elevate yourself at this year’s National Leadership Conference. Held in the capital of Maryland, Baltimore, NLC is a great place for members to network with other members across the state while developing one’s leadership skills, and visiting exhibitors and vendors. A weekend full of motivational general sessions, professional development, and career planning workshops, FBLA members are able to explore the realm of business more in depth.
PBL JUNE 23- JUNE 26 3
FBLA JUNE 28-JULY 1