by Chloe Kiparsky
The Ouray High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) went to the regional competition in Grand Junction on Tuesday, January 31st. Senior Pallen McArdle and sophomore Lis Ray both qualified for state competition, and the team bonded throughout the day.
Pallen got 1st place in Personal Finance and 4th place in Public Speaking, meaning that she qualified for state in both categories. Rules of the competition state that one can only compete at state for one category, so she will have to choose, and the other opportunity will go to her runner up.
In her first year of doing FBLA, Lis got 4th place in Intro to Public Speaking, qualifying her for state as well. She will perform the same original speech, about self esteem, at state, but with refinements: the judges gave her advice that she will use. “I got to meet different people, and I got to spend time with Pal!” she exclaimed, “It was a really cool experience to be able to put myself out there and feel uncomfortable, but feel safe at the same time.” FBLA is a growth opportunity that stretches the boundaries of one’s comfort zone, she said, but the reward is worth it.
Freshman Keaton Nelson, sophomore Catcher Latta, and junior Kortlan Nelson collaborated on a graphic design project and they got 5th place - 2 points behind the team who got 4th. They will attend state if another team drops out, but they all expressed their frustration about the outcome.
The three boys also competed in solo categories, Catcher doing Banking Security and Financial Investments, Keaton doing Advertisement, and Kortlan doing Personal Finance. None of them made it to state, and their specific place standings weren’t available to them.
The state competition will be held from April 5th-7th in Denver. “Approximately 3500 students and advisers will be in attendance,” said FBLA advisor Ms. James. “There will be workshops, opening and closing ceremonies, and other leadership opportunities.” The event will also open opportunities for the students to learn and explore their passions along with others that have similar interests.
Although he didn’t make it to state, Keaton still had a wonderful time roaming around Colorado Mesa University with his buddies. He laughed at the memory of watching “all the college kids walking around perplexed seeing all these high schoolers in full on suits and ties.”
The cumulative 4 hour bus ride was also rewarding for the competitors: according to a giggling Lis, “They snore. High school boys snore and listen to very loud rock music. It was good.” Oblivious of his snoring, Keaton’s advice is that “you should join FBLA!”