To learn important skills, it pays to go to people who know what they’re doing.
Three-hundred-fifty officers and fifty advisors from Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) at high schools and middle schools in Miami-Dade County came to Florida International University (FIU) to learn more about being effective leaders and running a strong organization.
They came to the right place. The FIU chapter of Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL)—one of the student organizations in the College of Business Administration—conducted the Officer Leadership Training Conference on September 30th. The organization is not only the FBLA-PBL Florida Chapter of the Year but also is ranked as the second strongest chapter in the nation.
“This was the fourth annual conference held here,” said sophomore Jose Nunez, the chapter’s vice president of professional development. “It was a packed agenda of presentations and workshops, all to motivate and educate the officers.”
The day-long conference began with welcomes from chapter president Bruno Cevallos, District 26 director Colleen Clark and chapter advisor Yanyn San Luis (BA ’10), followed by presentations from Florida FBLA-PBL president Albert Amaya and other officers.
“A keynote address by Bert Oliva, CEO and founder of an international sales and training organization, was very powerful as it drove home the importance of believing in yourself,” Nunez said.
Breakout sessions specifically designed for officer categories were presented by chapter members Claudia Capdesuner and Christopher Cuan and by William M. Cohen, the state representative of FBLA-PBL. Oliva ended the day with additional motivational messages.
Event provides glimpse of the path to a college degree.
“The students saw firsthand that FBLA doesn’t stop after middle school or high school or even after college,” said chapter treasurer Maridy Barrera, one of the 15 chapter volunteers who helped at the conference.
“For many students, it was also their first visit to a university,” Nunez said. “We were proud to represent FIU and our chapter, and to give them an idea of what campus life is like.”
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