SAN GABRIEL, CA – Gabrielino High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) program was recognized for its continued success at the 2018 National Leadership Conference (NLC), which challenges young professionals to put their business skills to the test in a workforce-simulated environment.

Gabrielino’s six students were among nearly 13,200 students from across the country to compete in 40 categories at the conference, which concluded July 2. The students qualified for nationals after earning top honors at the state leadership conference in April.

Juniors Casey Lee and Jiin Lee advanced to the national level for the second year in a row for Publication Design, in which they were tasked with designing promotional products for a meal delivery service. The duo presented designs for a logo, business cards, freezer tote bags, mugs and meal containers.

“We enjoyed the creative freedom of designing our own company,” said Casey Lee, who will serve as FBLA chapter president in 2018-19. “We invested months of time and effort into creating a final product that we are very proud of.”

Recent graduates Stanley Lee and Jason Tran took third place in the Emerging Business Issues competition, in which they presented an analysis of the costs and benefits of crowdsourcing, as well as how to make the practice more ethical.

Bianca Lee and Emily Wang, also recent Gabrielino grads, also advanced to the final round of the E-Business competition in their final NLC.

Casey Lee said the team plans to learn from the challenges faced this year and hopes to improve its performance at the 2019 NLC.

“The travel to Baltimore was a different experience, and NLC felt much bigger this year,” Lee said. “It strengthened our skills and allowed us to critique our work, which allowed room for improvement.”

Founded in 1940, FBLA brings businesses and students together through leadership and career advancement programs. The NLC also provided students with the opportunity to attend motivational sessions, professional development seminars and career planning workshops.

“FBLA plays an instrumental role in empowering students to tackle the professional challenges of today and tomorrow, and we are proud to have such a strong chapter at Gabrielino High School,” SGUSD Superintendent Dr. John Pappalardo said.

“Congratulations to Gabrielino’s FBLA students and staff on their continued success.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

072618_SANGAB_FBLA1: Gabrielino High’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) program advanced six students to the National Leadership Conference in early July.

072618_SANGAB_FBLA2: Gabrielino High students Stanley Lee and Jason Tran earned third place in the Emerging Business Issues competition at the FBLA National Leadership Conference, which concluded July 2.