“Look you guys, don’t you think clothes I bought the girl of our adopt-a-family are cute?” Ms.Renn mentioned, “I have to say the doll she asked for kind of freaks me out.” Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), even though the named seemed extremely boring, was a club I enjoy in various ways. I never thought that in a club I had avoided all my freshmen year would become not only part of my daily schedule, but also part of me. It is that section of my day that complements my interconnected parts of nerdy-ness and love for business. A moment and place where analyzing current events is not looked down but actually enjoyed by all group members. FBLA allowed me to become and grow with a community, satisfy my daily dose of business, and give back to the community that has seen me grow.

As I stepped into room 440 I didn’t see what I related to as a club meeting, I saw students from every possible school clique talking about the same things and helping each other with various task. What I saw was a community, a community that slowly enabled me to put my defensive wall down and really allowed me to know people. I was able to talk to students I would never imagined I would talk to. Slowly, I began to see how much in common I had with students I once thought were snobby and hard to get along with. Through the diversity of the group but also the cohesiveness I was not only introduced to a wide variety of perspective, but also got to understand the difference in thought of each individual. Together, as a whole, we set common goals and did everything to obtain them. On our way to that very satisfying line of completion I was able to grow, but also see how others grew with me. By something as simple as selling poinsettias during Christmas for our adopt-a-family I gained the confidence to step in front of a complete stranger and communicate smoothly and assertively what the group was doing and what for. On the other hand I saw how group member put their defensive barriers down, gained self-esteem, gained patience, and began to except rejection.

Analyzing current events to my friends and classmates was something really weird and very nerdy, but it was what interested me. It was something I enjoyed and at times found very relaxing. Unlike the classroom, home, or my friend FBLA provided me with the academic atmosphere specialized in business I couldn’t find anywhere else. It was a place where I knew I could talk about the current APR rate or how inflation affected banks and not get looked at funny. Not only did I enjoy sharing my intriguing findings of articles in the business section of the news paper, but so did everyone else. It was that section in my day where I shared, but also gain knowledge and expanded my business literacy. Soon being in FBLA became a need like a daily drug, a drug that satisfied my hunger to know more. My daily dose of business was greatly fulfilled.

Even though FBLA was a community of business nerds working and developing relationships with each other, it expanded beyond those boundaries. Stepping out of the APR rates and current events provided an even wider spectrum of business. We did work together within the school to raise money to go to the State Leadership Conference, but we stepped out of the box as we began to sell poinsettias to our community to adopt a family in need during the Christmas season. Only worrying about getting the money to cross everything off on the Santa list, allowed us to explore a macroeconomics environment. It also allowed us to give back to the community; the community that had seen me grow. Smiles formed in every group members face as we saw what we had accomplished to buy our adopted family. A family in need that had no control over their economic status, a family that could easily have been one of ours.

As my junior year came to an end and my senior year is a approaching I began to analyze my rigid curriculum and the time I will be able to work with. I easily realized that the amount of time I will have to waste is at a minimum, which is why I decided to focus on what I found the most important to me. Being part of FBLA the past years has let me grow on my business literacy and interactions but also personally. That is why on my list being not only part of FBLA but also of the executive board was highly ranked. My ultimate goal is to provide all members with the positive and constructive experience I was offered. I want every members daily dose of business as well as new experience satisfied just like mine where. I know that every step to achieve my goal will be challenging but allowing students to become part of the community and environment I was introduced to is all worthwhile.