Submitted by Westfield High School Future Business Leaders of America
Westfield High School Future Business Leaders of America that competed in Baltimore. (Photo submitted)
WESTFIELD — More than 9,200 of America’s best and brightest high school students traveled to Maryland to Elevate Their Futures as they competed for the opportunity to win more than $175,000 in cash awards.
The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Leadership Conference was held June 28–July 1 in Baltimore. Participants from across the United States and abroad attended this exciting conference to enhance their business skills, expand their networks, and participate in more than 70 business and business-related competitive events.
Eric Grigoryan from Westfield High School received national recognition at the FBLA Awards of Excellence Program on July 1. Grigoryan competed in Digital Video Production and brought home fifth place with his video presentation on business owners overcoming failure and the value of having a FBLA Chapter in High Schools.
Eric Grigoryan (2018) with his fifth place national award in video production. (Photo submitted)
Grigoryan was one of five members that also included Marisa Clark, Elizabeth Clink, Cameron Davignon, and Jonathan Serrano. These five were part of the 17 founding members of the FBLA WHS Chapter that earned the opportunity to compete on the national stage. To get there, the team of 17 traveled to Boston on April 9th where they competed in the Massachusetts State Conference held at Bentley University. Five of these members won seven awards for various competitions such as personal finance, accounting, job interview, health care administration, and public speaking.
“From starting the team to going to states and then getting to Nationals, really was a team effort and a fantastic opportunity for these students and they all presented themselves exceptionally well,” said Alison Sawyer one of the co-advisors for the team. Sawyer said, “we couldn’t have done it without the support of the community, specifically the support from EpiCenter, Westfield Bank, Westfield Gas & Electric who were Gold Level sponsors.”
“First and foremost it has been a blessing to have made it this far! I never would have thought my freshman year of high school that I would be standing amongst the top finalists in America! I would like to thank my parents for supporting me along the way, but most importantly I would like to give God all of the glory!” said Grigoryan.
WHS FBLA members hamming it up in Baltimore. (Photo submitted)
The award was part of a comprehensive national competitive events program sponsored by FBLA-PBL that recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. For many students, the competitive events are the capstone activity of their academic careers. In addition to competitions, students immersed themselves in interactive workshops, visited an information-packed exhibit hall, and heard from motivational speakers on a broad range of business topics.
About FBLA-PBL, Inc.
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc., the premier student business organization, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education association with a quarter million members and advisers in over 6,500 active middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. FBLA-PBL’s mission is to inspire and prepare students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences. The association is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. For more information, visit fbla-pbl.org.
