Monthly Archives: September 2011

The Road to My Success

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Jake Barreau, 2011-12 PBL National President

Exactly 7 years ago, at the age of 15, I sat in the back of a sea of people all attending the 2005 FBLA National Leadership Conference.  As a freshman in high school, I was in awe of the thousands of members competing to be the nation’s best.  I was the first freshman ever from Portage High School (WI) to qualify for NLC.  While I didn’t place in the top ten that year, it didn’t matter – I was hooked.

The next year I came back to compete again and ended up placing 2nd in FBLA Principles & Procedures, an event that truly helped me to learn and appreciate the ins-and-outs of FBLA-PBL.  I knew every nerdy fact about our organization – ever need to know the national center zipcode, or all nine of the FBLA-PBL goals in order?  I’m your guy.

Well…I finished out my FBLA career at Portage High School, Wisconsin FBLA’s largest chapter at the time, as the 2008 Who’s Who in Wisconsin FBLA, the cherry on top of a great four years.  FBLA really complemented my high school experience so well, from the people I met to the places I went, it all helped me to grow as a leader.

Well…it was time for college. I decided to go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for academic reasons.  However, the also were home to the nation’s largest PHI BETA LAMBDA chapter, with just under 500 members – that also drew me. To be honest, when I got to compete at my first Wisconsin PBL SLC, I was a bit surprised by how small it was. It was also rather disorganized at the time. Maybe PBL wasn’t for me? That same year, we got a great new State Adviser, Dr. Patricia Ward. She has been amazing and like a second mother to me throughout my PBL career.

Well I decided to stick with PBL obviously and also decided last minute to run for PBL National Office at the very last minute, with one of my best friends from UW, Courtney Bauer. She was running for North Central Region VP and I was running for National Parliamentarian. I couldn’t have been more nervous. My parli skills were not that of a pro (pun intended) and I knew that. I studied Robert’s Rules of Order and the question bank day in and day out for a couple months.  One test and 1,200 flashcards later, I was installed as the 2009-2010 PBL National Parliamentarian. It was such an amazing feeling. I was on the stage as one of the nine individuals chosen to lead and represent our organization for the next year.

Me & Courtney Bauer (NCVP)

The next year, I decided to run again for office – this time North Central Region Vice President. I was elected and served another great term. I was having such a great time traveling and meeting so many great people.

It was the summer before the 2011 PBL NLC. I knew that the minute I ended my term the year before, I wanted to run for PBL National President. I spent the year preparing. I had a great campaign manager and my State Adviser to help me through the entire campaign process. Perhaps the most emotional part, I was back in Orlando, FL, the site of my very first National Leadership Conference back in 2005. Only this time, I was on stage delivering a speech to thousands asking them to put their faith in me.

2007 WI FBLA NLC

Well, I was successful in my campaign and became not only the 2011-2012 PBL National President, but the first EVER three-term National Officer in FBLA-PBL history.

In a nutshell, that is my story.  I’ve won money, won awards, lost competitions, given speeches, attended workshops, heard amazing speakers, traveled to great locations, and much more (the list seems almost endless). I am here to say that FBLA-PBL can be whatever you want it to be.

One thing I know to be true…these years have been “Simply the Best” and I wish that each and every student has the same experience that I have been blessed to have had.

Lost on “The Hill” and the Government Awareness Project

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Nadine Goldberg, FBLA National Parliamentarian

Hasher Nissar isn’t the only one who can get lost on Capitol Hill (read Hasher’s blog post here)!  After a wonderful meeting in Senator Marco Rubio’s office, Whitni Redman and I were practically walking on air as we journeyed back toward our “home base” in the Rayburn Building. We got into the elevator and reached out to press the button for the fourth floor…but there wasn’t one!

Something was clearly wrong, so we backed out of the elevator and went in search for help. We must have spoken to ten different employees before we got directions that would take us back to our meeting place.  By the time we arrived, we were tired and boiling hot (As much as I love my FBLA blazer, it was certainly not made for running in!), but no amount of heat could wipe the smiles off of our faces.  Speaking to my senator about the organization I love was an incredible experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Whitni and I finally make it back to the Rayburn building!

Rewind half an hour, and Whitni and I are sitting at a beautiful conference table with Senator Rubio’s Director of Outreach, Mr. Sanchez. We’re speaking passionately about the Perkins Act, but Mr. Sanchez is starting to look just as lost as we would soon be in that elevator. Sensing his confusion, we slow down, and indeed, he has a question: “Exactly how much money was cut from Perkins for the 2011 fiscal year?” Whitni and I answer his question and quickly move on with our discussion. But short as it was, that moment has stuck with me since the day of our visit in July.

It’s easy to believe that our individual voices don’t mean much to senators who often serve millions of citizens. But the reality is that our representatives in Congress can’t help us if we don’t let them know what we need. If we had not spoken to Mr. Sanchez about the importance of restoring funding to the Perkins Act, it might have slipped by unnoticed under Senator Rubio’s radar.  That is why I’m so excited about the Government Awareness Project this year. As Whitni and I learned, civic involvement is essential…and what better cause is there to advocate for than FBLA?

Tips for a successful year

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Tony Jones, FBLA Southern Region Vice President

As we enter another year, the main question in many chapter advisers’ and officers’ minds is, how do I get others to join the organization?  While there are countless techniques that can be used, it really depends on the make-up of your school.  When trying to recruit members, think back to the interests of the students and then demonstrate how FBLA will guide them in that area (and also much more). Keep in mind, once recruited, it is important to continue empowering your members with new skills.

Tips for successful recruiting include:

Just have fun! When first trying to attract new members, draw them in with fun activities.  Do something that the typical school clubs are not doing.  Make sure that the students can see what the organization has to give them.  Things like giving out cool material, having a chocolate social, and then making sure you are getting the word out.  Through incentives like these, those new and incoming members, as well as those who are already a part of FBLA, will feel as though they belong.

Keep it going!  Just don’t do those neat things at the beginning of the year, but enwrap members in meaningful experiences throughout the whole year.  Let members develop more skills through reaching out to community leaders to come and speak at meetings.  Give members the chance to earn points and then those with a certain number will be able to go on a field trip to a business headquarters. Offer help sessions for competitive events.  Members want to see how something can change their lives, and with steps like these, it can happen.

Make the best meetings! Once you get the membership base that you are happy with, don’t stop there. Strive to make the meeting more than just something that causes people to get up early or go home late. Your members know what it’s like to sit in class be and be spoken to, so let them do the talking.  Officers develop an agenda that will appeal to the members, so they get something out of their time! Make the meeting informal and plan exciting activities. Having snacks and other treats available is also a useful tool.

As we enter the new Gateway to Greatness know that as future business leaders, we should show others why we stand out.  So be the stand-out leaders of your school, and others will follow.  Let FBLA be more than just letters.  Show the students of your school that with motivation and dedication, you can make a difference.  Members and advisers go out and show your school and community why we are the Future Business Leaders of America.

New York State FBLA Recovers from Irene

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As the East Coast begins the recovery effort from Tropical Storm Irene, New York State FBLA is in the process of identifying those chapters who are in need of assistance. According to Thomas Mueller from the New York State Association of FBLA, several schools throughout New York were effected, with one school reporting as many as 40% of their students losing their homes.

New York State FBLA is sponsoring a state-wide effort to encourage chapters across NY to get involved by sponsoring school supplies drives, food drives, clothing drives, and volunteering with local organizations. The FBLA-PBL National Center applauds their efforts and encourages all chapters across the East Coast and the nation to lend a hand. To learn how you can help, please visit http://www.nysfbla.org.

Watch the Video