Every second weekend of April, North Star’s FBLA heads to Kearney to compete against 2,200 students from across Nebraska. Future Business Leaders of America is the largest career-oriented student organization in the world, giving kids the chance to develop strong career skills and have fun doing so. At North Star, this greatness comes close to home. Led by business teacher Mr. Ball, North Star’s FBLA Chapter is one of the most dominant teams in the state. As 2024’s Largest Class A Chapter in Nebraska, and a team that frequently sends kids to the National Leadership Conference, North Star’s FBLA is something serious.
This year, Mr. Ball is taking more students than ever. 9 students qualified for nationals between a mixture of 4 individual and group events, beating the previous record set last year at 5 students. They’ll all be heading to Anaheim in June with over 400 other Nebraska FBLA qualifiers, joining more than 17,000 students from across the nation, Canada, and China.
Now more than ever, Mr. Ball and the club’s President, Makenna Watkins (12), are proud of their FBLA Chapter. Although “We lost a good amount of graduating seniors last year, we’re still able to perform at a high level,” Watkins shares. “Our program is always improving.”
A large part of FBLA’s success is due to members’ passion for the club. Although not everyone has career interests in business, they are able to find an environment that fosters enjoyment and friendship in FBLA. Mr. Ball strives to create this for his students, and they certainly appreciate him for it. After Watkins joined FBLA as a sophomore because her senior friends invited her, she stayed because of the positive relationship she built with Mr. Ball. “He cares about each and every kid,” Watkins affirms. “He wants you to explore new things and encourages kids to attend competitions,” even if they aren’t yet confident in their abilities. While Ball is excited to have such a successful chapter, his students are always more than numbers to him. Before anything else, Ball emphasizes the experience, which makes FBLA all the more special.
Senior member and two-time National Qualifier Kristi Chumber agrees with this sentiment. “FBLA has been some of my most fun, rewarding moments of high school,” Chumber explains. “We get to miss school to hang out at colleges for competitions, meet kids from across the state, and stay overnight at hotels with some of my good friends.” This year, Chumber will be strolling through Disneyland and relaxing on the beach with 8 of her classmates. “We are so hype,” Chumber says. “We’ve been thinking of fun Instagram captions to post our wins all weekend, and our excitement hasn’t stopped.” The National Conference happens from June 29 through July 2 every year, but Nebraska FBLA gets there 2 days early to ensure some time to celebrate. Last year, students visited Sea World and Universal Studios in Orlando.
If you have some spare time this summer, make a wish for your fellow Gators at FBLA Nationals.
State Leadership Conference Awards Won:
1st – Sports and Entertainment Management (Rachel Harre, Carol Lin, Avari Ostentowski)
1st – International Business (Brooke Adam, Kristi Chumber)
3rd – UX Design (Brooke Adam)
3rd – Public Policy & Advocacy (Max Roberts)
3rd – Organizational Leadership (Max Roberts)
4th Sports and Entertainment Management (Jace Medina, Isaac Rabago, Kobe Merkel)
5th – Hospitality & Event Management (Rachel Harre, Carol Lin, Makenna Watkins)
5th – UX Design (Isaac Rabago)
6th – Financial Math (Brooke Adam)
7th – Business Management (Noah Kak, Owen Berg, Edem Looky)
8th – Entrepreneurship (Edem Looky, Keegan Joel, Kobe Merkel)
8th – Economics (Brooke Adam)
Honorable Mentions:
– Financial Math (Isaac Rabago)
– Job Interview (Kristi Chumber)
– Personal Finance (Will Schafer)
– Intro to Business Comm. (Eva Sindelar)
6 automatic National Qualifiers from North Star (top three placement), 9 Total Qualifiers (next in line).
