Almost robotically, my feet traverse the length of the stage. I grip my hands tightly, interlacing my clammy fingers with one another. My navy suit suddenly feels scalding against my skin. The booming voice of the announcer almost fades away in the background, overshadowed by the pulsating of my head.

I remember standing on stage for my own competitive event, calm and collected. But this was different. Chapter of the Year was a prestigious accolade awarded to our entire school, to our chapter of 460+ members. This award is a culmination of everything we had worked for this year, my competence as a president, and our organization’s reputation.

When the announcer stated who won the award, I heard a deafening roar from our section: “South! South! South!” Everyone was on their feet, celebrating, screaming. I held up our cup triumphantly, yelling so loudly that I could hardly hear myself. This was the best way to start yet another unforgettable Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference (SLC).

On March 11-13, South Forsyth High School’s FBLA attended the esteemed State Leadership Conference in downtown Atlanta. FBLA is a Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) that works to build students’ leadership skills and business knowledge. Every FBLA competition, event, and conference supports students’ in finding and furthering their personal passions. This year, 154 members from South Forsyth attended the state conference, partaking in a wide variety of competitive events ranging from presentations to case studies.

Collectively, the War Eagles boast 12 1st place winners, 59 national qualifiers, and 90 top 10 finishers. In addition to Chapter of the Year (COY) award, the chapter snagged the titles of Sweepstakes Winner, breaking Alpharetta High School’s 9-year streak, and earned recognition for the Largest Membership in the state.

 

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However, South’s success at this year’s conference was not possible without the dedication and effort of the school’s advisor, Mrs. Carla Yonk, and the officer team. In preparation for the State Conference and working towards the goal of Chapter of the Year, officers and advisors worked to complete various activities, community service drives, competitive event workshops, and official business meetings. These events helped officers further develop their leadership skills, and members immersed themselves in all aspects of the organization.

Sayna Kaushik, a qualifier for the National Leadership Conference, developed an effective study regimen to prepare for her competitive event.

“The preparation was very rigorous. I actually had to pick from 5 topics to write my speech from, and it led me to write three different speeches. I ended up picking the speech that intrigued my little sister the most. When it came to preparing my speech I continuously repeated it to myself and rehearsed in front of a mirror. I genuinely could not have won without the guidance of Mrs. Yonk and my parents,” said Kaushik.

In addition to the chapter’s countless wins, sophomore Anant Gautam, a member of South Forsyth FBLA’s officer team, was elected State Executive Vice President of Georgia FBLA.

Additionally, Georgia FBLA’s Vice President of Projects, Abhishek Pasupeleti, another South FBLA member, wrapped up his tenure as state officer this year.

“The state leadership conference was an amazing place for the South to show off its success as an FBLA chapter, and it was amazing seeing everyone’s hard work paying off,” Pasupeleti told us. “As a state officer, I was really glad that we got to provide members with the experience of the state leadership conference, and I hope I inspired people both within our chapter and across the state to continue their efforts in FBLA!”

The State Leadership Conference has always been a great source of pride to South’s FBLA organization and this year, with record-breaking wins, victory has never been sweeter.