In nearly all professions, a skillset of leadership and networking can prove to be a great advantage, jumpstarting any fresh-out-of-college student’s career, as members of the Future Business Leaders of America Club (FBLA) have realized. In hopes of bringing such opportunities to Village students, juniors Anjana Ganesh and Christina Vignet created the Future Business Leaders of America Club at the beginning of the school year.

The FBLA club presents high school students with an interest in business-based occupations or those eager to refine their entrepreneurship skills with an opportunity to focus on just that – leadership and networking – in a competition-based environment.

“The purpose of this club is to create business leaders, improving student’s public speaking skills, and introducing them to a network with business professionals,” says Ganesh, who serves as President of the Village chapter of FBLA. “FBLA also provides an opportunity for students to partake in competitions to show how much they have learned.”

While there are over fifty clubs to participate in, only a handful of them are business-centered, with even less allowing students to display their new-found strengths through competition.

“I created FBLA after taking the Entrepreneurship class in 10th grade, where I found that I had a passion for business,” Ganesh said.” I was excited to start a club that hopes to showcase and foster this passion.

According to Forbes, millennials in the workplace tend to isolate themselves and hesitate when making contact with superiors, thus making such skills even more crucial in the millennial workplace.

Despite a roster of only seven members, FBLA has seen much success this year, attending its first conference in January, with four members winning awards. Juniors Christina Vignet and Khayra Amir placed 3rd and 4th respectively in the economic competition while Julia Becker and Ganesh participated in the social media campaign and placed 2nd. Their recent wins qualify the four for the State conference scheduled to take place on March 9th.

Their success, however, has only inspired the club to aim higher.

“Through FBLA, I hope that we can gain success in future competitions and hopefully qualify for nationals,” says Ganesh. “I also want to bring in entrepreneurs to speak to the club, as well as visit a local business. I hope to also increase our community service outreach, by participating in a service project.”

As a first-year club, FBLA has excelled, already gaining recognition on a regional level for their work. However, Ganesh only hopes to grow next year and looks forward to seeing new members join next year. Students interested in joining FBLA should contact either Ganesh or Vignet.