Recently, several members of Dawson County High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) group competed in state-level competitions, and one of them will go on to represent her county in the upcoming national competition.
According to information provided by DCHS FBLA Advisor Beth Hamby, 13 Dawson County students attended the state FBLA conference in Atlanta on March 10 and 11. During the conference, members attended business and leadership sessions and competed in state-level competitions.
DCHS senior Madelyn Lee placed third in the Impromptu Speaking event, qualifying to advance to the national FBLA competition which will be held in Atlanta in June. Lee said that she learned valuable skills through the experience, including skills she can use in other important tasks like her mock job interview.
“Impromptu boosted my confidence with public speaking because I realized that if I could talk about a subject when I was only given a few minutes to prepare, then I could also confidently speak in front of adults and my peers on a topic in which I am more well versed,” Lee said. “I have actually had the opportunity to use this experience when I did my mock job interview. They asked me questions that I was not prepared for, but I was able to answer them quickly and confidently.”
Several other DCHS students also showed success at the state competition. Junior Asher Morris took seventh place in the Job Interview event, and sophomore Alston Muilenburg, junior Cael Hand and junior Tyler Tangel placed 10th in the Computer Game and Simulation event.
Hand, sophomore Aaric Muilenburg and Nathan Hodge also competed in the Sales Presentation event and were recognized as one of the top 12 in the state.
“The kids really did a great job,” Hamby said. “There were thousands of people there competing and I am really proud of them for how well they did.”
Lee added that participating in FBLA has been an important part of her high school experience, and that she would encourage other high schoolers to consider joining the group.
“FBLA has also given me the opportunity to meet a lot of people outside the school and in the community who have taught me about how to be a helpful citizen in the community and have supported me as I prepare for life after school,” Lee said.