Eleven students from Longmont High School’s (LHS) Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter attended the Future Business Leaders of America’s National Leadership Conference and National Awards Program from June 29 to July 2 in Anaheim, California. 11,000 students from across the country also participated in the national competition.
At the competition, three LHS students placed in the top ten at finals: graduated senior Colton Kominski placed seventh in Impromptu Speaking, freshman Chloe Krueger placed seventh in Agribusiness (and became thefirst freshman in LHS history to place), and graduated senior Ella McGregor placed 10th in HR Management.
“This was my third time at FBLA nationals, and each time I had gotten so close to the finals round but just wasn’t able to pass that bar,” Kominski said. “So as a graduated senior going into my last FBLA competition, I wanted to go out with a bang. When I found out I made it to finals, the energy was electric… that feeling was unmatched. Even if I didn’t win, I had finally learned and grew into a business leader, and that is exactly what FBLA is about.”
FBLA is a career and technical student organization that helps students prepare for careers in business and business education. It has over 230,000 members in middle school, high school, and college. LHS’s FBLA program has been around for about 12 years, according to LHS Principal Jeff McMurry.
The National Awards Program at the conference “recognized and rewarded excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas.” The goal of the conference, according to FBLA, is to provide students with education, competition, and networking opportunities centered on business.
LHS’s FBLA chapter is part of the school’s High School of Business (HSB), a national program tailored to help students learn skills in business so that they can “excel in college business administration programs or start their own business after graduation.” Students must apply to Longmont’s High School of Business when they enter high school, and only around 60 students are admitted each year. The program is facilitated by Jim Giveans and Alex Sommers.
“Being in FBLA and HSB at Longmont High School has bestowed me with a newfound confidence to tackle the dynamic and competitive world that we are living in,” Kominski said. “I think being able to learn these skills early on in not only one’s educational journey, but also their occupational journey, really prepares one for a future in whatever they put their mind to.”
At the national conference, students also had the opportunity to engage in over 120 learning workshops and meet with representatives from more than 260 colleges, universities, and employers. Students also heard from keynote speaker and FBLA alumna Karissa Bodnar, Founder and CEO of Thrive Causemetics and Bigger Than Beauty Skincare.
According to McMurry, LHS’s FBLA program is the largest in the Mountain Plains Region, with over 340 participating students involved in the program last school year. This year’s group was the largest that LHS has ever sent to FBLA’s national competition.
“I feel absolute pride in these students,” he said. “I just know that it takes a lot of dedication and that these students are not only improving the culture in our school community, but they have a clear vision for their high school and post-secondary experience, which is the ultimate goal. It’s not just about a diploma, it’s about preparation for post-secondary life.”
Kominski and McGregor will both attend CU Bulder in the fall.
“I have met some of the most amazing people from my time in FBLA, not only in my area, but even international students who have truly shaped how I view the world,” Kominski said. “That’s probably the most important thing I have learned through FBLA, the power of genuine connection. The connections I have established through FBLA have shaped who I am. Especially those on my amazing team at Longmont, they have pushed me, challenged me, and taught me to be the best version of myself.”
