This year, Pleasant Valley High School’s Future Business Leaders of America chapter participated in the annual State Leader Conference, marking its sixth attendance to this statewide event.
The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leader Conference (SLC) brings together students from across Iowa, offering them more than just a chance to compete. For many participants, the conference provides an opportunity to explore career interests, build connections and gain real-world experience beyond the classroom.
Each year, students compete in a wide range of events, from traditional business topics like accounting and business management to areas such as healthcare administration and computer problem-solving. These events showcase how business concepts apply across multiple industries, helping students understand their versatility and that they are not limited to a single career path.
Through these experiences, students begin to see the broader role business plays in everyday professions and their future careers.
“I had the amazing opportunity at FBLA SLC to be a candidate for one of Iowa’s vice presidents in the organization,” Pleasant Valley junior Lily Lang said. “Through my campaign booth and other opportunities to talk with voting delegates and other candidates, I not only developed an understanding of how to better sell myself and my ideas, but also network and communicate with people better, which has led me to now have so many new friends and even connections with professionals through this experience.”
In addition to competition, networking plays an important role in the SLC experience. Students interact with peers from different schools, exchanging ideas and perspectives that they may not encounter in the classroom. These connections often make the conference more meaningful and insightful.
For Pleasant Valley junior Ella Rogers, one of the most valuable aspects of FBLA is the opportunity to meet new people and experience different perspectives.
“FBLA has allowed me to reach so many new people and experiences I could have never imagined,” Rogers said. “The ability to see people all throughout the state is overwhelmingly exciting and motivating. Classrooms can feel limiting especially in high school with the same rotation of people. However, in FBLA I am able to see new perspectives and ideas that I may have missed out on.”
Beyond exploration and networking, students say FBLA and SLC help them develop important life skills. Competing in events and presenting in front of judges encourages students to build confidence, professionalism and personal growth. These qualities are valuable in any career path.
“FBLA and SLC together prepare me for a future career by building my confidence,” Rogers said. “There has most definitely been ups and downs in competition and being away from home. Despite all of that, I have seen even greater amounts of growth in how I hold myself. In the business world that is especially important because how higher ups see you changes the trajectory of your career. Therefore, building up those skills and confidence has set me up for success later on.”
Students say these experiences prepare them not only for careers in business but for a wide range of future paths by providing skills that can be applied across industries.
Rather than being limited to competition alone, the FBLA program continues to serve as a platform for students to grow, connect and better understand the role of business in the world around them, leaving participants with skills and perspectives that extend far beyond high school.
