Students from the Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter cashed in when they attended the New Jersey FBLA State Leadership Conference (SLC) in Atlantic City from Monday, March 9, to Wednesday, March 11.
Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City was the site where FBLA members across New Jersey gathered to compete in business-related events and attend leadership workshops.
Kerian Fry and Mike Bittner, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School FBLA Co-Advisors and Business Teachers, attended the three-day event and reported on a highly successful and informative conference.
“ The conference began with an opening ceremony that welcomed students from chapters across New Jersey and introduced the current state officer team. This year’s conference theme, Make Your Mark, encouraged members to pursue leadership opportunities and make meaningful contributions within FBLA and their communities,” Ms. Fry said.
“In addition to competing, students attended workshops and networking sessions that focused on leadership development, career preparation, and business skills. These sessions allowed members to learn from industry professionals and connect with students from other FBLA chapters throughout the state,” she said.
Ms. Fry also shared that “Bridgewater-Raritan High School celebrated a major achievement at the conference.”
“Two of our members were elected to serve as New Jersey FBLA State Officers for the upcoming year. Anvay Ajmera was elected State Webmaster, and Victoria Wang was elected North Central Regional Vice President. Their elections reflect their leadership within the chapter and their commitment to contributing to the statewide FBLA organization,” Ms. Fry explained.
The new State Webmaster reflected on his experience running for a state office.
“Being an NJ FBLA state candidate was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Between preparing my campaign, meeting members from chapters across New Jersey, and helping behind the scenes with conference setup, I got to see how much work goes into making the event run. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve NJ FBLA this year.” Ajmera revealed.
Aarav Gupta, who competed in Human Resource Management, shared his experience at the conference.
“I really enjoyed the How to Retire with Millions workshop because it taught me valuable lessons about networking and saving for the future. I also had the opportunity to connect with FBLA members from other schools and expand my network on LinkedIn,” Gupta said.
The conference concluded with a closing awards ceremony, where several Bridgewater-Raritan High School students earned top placements in their respective events.
Bridgewater-Raritan High School students who placed were:
Rishi Khanna, 2nd in Intro to Parliamentary Procedure
Showrya Verma, 4th in Securities and Investments
Aarav Gupta, 3rd in Human Resource Management
Charles Wang, 1st in Business Communications
Dhruv Rakhade, 3rd in Agribusiness;
Sri Kakarla, 3rd in Personal Finance
Maya Patel, 2nd in Intro to FBLA
Ridhwan Sharma, 1st in Insurance and Risk Management
Kush Dave, Harish Ramakrishnan, and Rishabh Sankar, Top 10 in Data Analysis
Vedaang Verma, 2nd in Future Business Educator
Gayatri Krishnan, 1st in Impromptu Speaking
Darsh Gaur, Top 10 in Intro to Business Procedures
Anika Patel and Diya Mohan, Top 10 in Public Service Announcement;
Aris Diagelakis and Greg Wronski, Top 10 in Sports and Entertainment
Rithvik Krish and Daksh Bansal, Top 10 in Event Planning
Viktor Sychev, 1st in Entrepreneurship
Tharun Naguleswaran, Arav Jain, and Darsh Bajpai, Top 10 in Data Analysis
Roshni Kabra and Sanika Jaiswal, 3rd in Intro to Business Presentation
Ayna Phukan, Sonia Patel, and Bela Nekram, 4th in Visual Design
Nate John, Corbin Jimenez, and Jack Lee, 3rd in Graphic Design
Tife Jagun, Nishika Lal, and Kousani Bhowmik, Top 10 in Hospitality and Event Management
Arshiya Aggarwal and Angie Wang, 4th in Business Management
Parvathy Regi and Varnika Kirthi, 3rd in Business Ethics
Bhanu Pogadadanda, Top 10 in Intro to Business Procedures
Victoria Wang, Top 10 in Career Portfolio
Anvay Ajmera, Top 10 in Website Coding and Development
Shamar Radakrishnan, Top 10 in Cybersecurity
Shree Bobate, 2nd in Technology Support and Services
Mythili Madhusoodanan, Top 10 in Job Interview
Dhruv Malkan, 3rd in Technology Support and Services
Jadon Kim, Top 10 in Public Speaking;
Arnav Nagesh, 4th in Technology Support and Services.
The Bridgewater-Raritan High School chapter received 11th place in the Alzheimer’s Association event.
Ms. Fry concluded:
“Overall, the State Leadership Conference provided students with the opportunity to showcase their business knowledge, strengthen leadership skills, and represent Bridgewater-Raritan High School on the state level.”