ALLEN — This summer will be an eventful one for several students at Northern Heights High School as they attend national competitions for Future Business Leaders of America and Family Career and Community Leaders of America.
Students Travis Bohs, 15; Matt Gutierrez, 18; J.W. Roeder, 18; Jessica Dhority, 14; and Sarah Boline, 16, will head to the FBLA competition in late June and early July. Dawn Hinson, 18, will go to the FCCLA competition in July.
Hinson will be traveling to Anaheim, Calif., for her competition. To qualify, Hinson had to have a top score in the district and also had to get a top place in the state competition, which was held earlier this semester.
Hinson got involved in FCCLA after she heard upper classmen talking about the group. She thought it sounded good and joined up. Hinson had to create a portfolio and explain why she was qualified for a particular job. She chose a web designer job in banking. Hinson also had to prove she had good job interviewing skills.
“I have an interest in financial,” Hinson said.
Many of the FBLA students joined because of the way it could affect their futures. The FBLA students will be competing in Chicago.
“I was told it would look really good on my scholarships,” Gutierrez said.
Roeder agreed.
“And it gives us the opportunity to work around a lot of people,” he said. “It’s good experience I think.”
Dhority, who is the daughter of FBLA sponsor Kim Dhority, went on a couple of trips with her mother and decided to join as well, she said.
“I liked what they did,” she said.
Boline also joined because she heard about the group from others.
“I really liked it,” she said. “And I continue to do it.”
For FBLA, the students had to create a business financial plan. They were split into two groups: one chose to re-build a business and the other group decided to build a business from scratch.
The first group, which includes Gutierrez, Roeder and Boline, chose to re-build a sporting goods business after it was destroyed by a natural disaster. The group came up with a written report and told how they would run the business for the next 10 years.
Dhority teamed up with Bohs to start a third-generation business modeled after Bohs’ father’s business, an embryo transplant cattle business. They had to follow the same requirements as the other group, but built it from the ground up instead of re-building.
To raise money to go to the nationals, the two groups are holding fund-raisers, including a joint spaghetti supper on May 9.
Michael Glass, 17, has a reason all his own to attend the nationals in Chicago. This year, he was elected a state officer for FBLA — District 7 vice-president. Glass represents the 13 schools in the district. Glass said at nationals he will attend meetings and help a nationaal candidate campaign.
Glass was elected after state officer interviews followed by a state officer campaign and an election, which was held at the state competition this semester.
Kim Dhority said the last several years, the school has had between one and 10 students attend national competitions. She said it gives the students a chance to be involved, but to also travel a bit.
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