Jose Betancourt went from being a shy high school student to winning the public speaking competition at the Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) National Leadership Conference last summer. He credits his decision to join the organization as a high school sophomore with making that growth possible.

Jose Betancourt

In a show of gratitude, Betancourt, a management major and now president of FBLA-PBL’s Florida International University (FIU) chapter, has devoted his energies to making the group’s annual officer training a seminal event for students interested in business careers. He shares that goal with Yanyn San Luis, FBLA-PBL’s regional vice president, with whom he combined forces to organize an enthusiastically received training on October 9, 2009.

Yanyn San Luis

“It was so gratifying to see this gathering become what he and I envisioned when we took it over,” said San Luis, a student assistant in the College of Business Administration’s office of advancement, alumni and corporate relations. “Having students tell us how much they loved the experience let us know we achieved what we set out to do.”

Record numbers participate.

The training attracted 350 high school and middle school students and more than 50 career advisors who took part in interactive sessions that addressed a range of topics, from career and internship opportunities to effective interviewing to strategies for building local chapters.

Approximately 350 high school and middle school students along with more than 50 career advisors took part in the FBLA-PBL Officer Training held at FIU.

Betancourt leveraged his internship at Pepsi Bottling Group to secure one of several sponsorships. This enabled him and San Luis to significantly reduce the cost for the students while simultaneously generating important revenue for the FIU chapter.

The two had barely finished receiving accolades for their work when they began discussing how to make the event better for next year.

From left to right: Raul Gonzalez, human resources manager, College of Business Administration; Sammi Rosin, assistant director, Career Management Services; and Jose Toscano, assistant director, Campus Life and FBLA-PBL advisor

“We want to constantly improve on what we do so that the event continues to be memorable and leaves the students wanting more,” Betancourt said.

MEDIA COVERAGE

• November 11, 2009: “FIU hosts workshop for 400 future leaders,” MiamiHerald.com. Read article.