Preparation and time are just some of the key factors FBLA competitors require to possibly make it to the state competition.

On December 5th in the e-studio, FBLA and students in business courses participated in the regional test that ranged from 38 different topics, such as business and accounting.

Out of the forty participants, six members qualified to attend the state competition on March 15, 16, and 17 in Atlantic City. Junior Joel Stanley qualified in Economics and sophomores Sofia Brockman in Introduction to Business Communications, Chad Schuster in Personal Finance, Clare Buckley in Spreadsheet Applications, and Dylan Monfried and Julianna Ramil in Word Processing.

“It was my first time participating in the event, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but I wasn’t really nervous, because I had no expectations,” Brockman said.

Once a participant is able to make it to the states, “Opportunities in public speaking and participating in business ethic debates are offered,” advisor Suzanne O’Sullivan said. “Colleges recognize and understand the value of the competition and what it means when you place at regionals and state levels.”

At the state competition, they will be competing against the other four regions in New Jersey, and the top two participants from that competition will move onto the nationals.

To prepare for the upcoming test, students who made it to the state competition are preparing by “going over some basic things that are similar to the test, like grammar and vocabulary.”

“I am definitely more nervous than I was for the first test, but I am also not very nervous because I know that even if I don’t make it to the nationals, it is still really exciting to be a part of the state competition,” Brockman said.