Beginning on Feb. 28, 2022, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America will venture to Atlantic City for their annual regional competition.

Each year, FBLA members must successfully complete a 100 multiple-choice question exam in under an hour in order to qualify for regionals. In 2022, a record number of 36 students qualified for the regional competition, which is far more than in previous years.

“This is actually the largest placement that we had at regionals,” FBLA advisor Bethany Henry told The Fanscotian. “[In the past] if we were lucky, we’d get ten people that actually ended up placing but this year, we had 36 out of the 48 individuals place in regionals.”

The regional competition is a chance for club members to get a taste of the business world and an opportunity to actually network with other business-minded students. For students like senior Sherin Kachroo, being named a finalist is an honor and a testament to the hard work it takes as a member of FBLA.

“Being a finalist at the regional competition is still so surreal to me,” Kachroo said. “Knowing that I was able to advance on to the state level and be in the top eight in my event in our region proves that I put so much hard work and effort to succeed. It helps me understand that whatever aspiration I set my mind to, I can achieve it, and being a finalist helps me to strengthen my passion in business so that I can continue pursuing it in the future.”

Clubs like FBLA are one of the number of financial literacy resources SPFHS provides to its students. The world of business may not be an easy one to grasp, but it is arguably one of the most essential. 

“[Learning financial literacy] is very important,” Henry said. “Business is everywhere. It’s like the universal language. Learning any little bit of business is important, whether it is knowing how to keep your checkbooks, how to open up bank accounts, how to do your taxes or just how to be able to survive out on your own. Those are all components of not only daily life skills but also business aspects as well.”

For anyone wanting to join FBLA, be prepared to join a welcoming community of students and to have your eyes opened to the number of possibilities the business world has to offer. 

“For a student who hopes to join FBLA, I would definitely say that this club is such an important organization for me,” Kachroo said. “It truly has shaped me into not just understanding business and the different concepts within it but it has helped me with my communication and presentational skills. I think FBLA is a strong community of students that I believe everyone should join as it benefits you in high school and beyond.”