By: Kelly Olson
Business Teacher, FBLA Advisor
Dickinson, ND—Members of the Dickinson High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter attended the 57th annual North Dakota FBLA State Leadership Conference March 24 – 26, 2024 virtually. Over 60 FBLA chapters from across the state participated in this conference, connecting approximately 1,300 middle and high school students to test business skills against their peers from around the state.
The most exciting aspect of the conference is the competitive events program. Students have the opportunity to test the business skills they’ve learned in the classroom in a variety of individual, team, and chapter events. Students can enter events such as accounting, computer applications, public speaking, job interview, website design, or business ethics. The culmination of the competitive events program is the awards ceremony where winners are recognized for their accomplishments, and we find out who will represent North Dakota at the National Leadership Conference this summer. In addition to the competitive events program, students had the opportunity to attend workshops, vote for the 2024-25 state officer team, and network with members from around the state. This year, members also had the opportunity to hear from keynote speaker, Hunter Pinke, with his keynote “Along the Way” about overcoming adversity and how to find joy and purpose in the process while chasing your dreams.
Dickinson High School had a great showing at FBLA State leadership by over half of the students who made it in the top ten. Five of those students were invited to nationals. Here are the students and their placings:
Objective tests
Accounting II
Samantha Harris 6th Place
Computer Problem Solving
Jaxon Croft 8th Place
Cyber security
Carly Rehbein 3rd Place
Economics
Samantha Harris 9th place
Health Care Administration
Sami Ficek 3rd place
Introduction to Marketing Concepts
Olivia Lauf 10th Place
Organization Leadership
Stephanie Tally 6th Place
Journalism
Alyssa Sadowsky 4th Place
Jaxon Croft 9th Place
Presentation Events
Computer gaming and application
Bella Samman 3rd Place
Intro to Public Speaking
Olivia Lauf 4th Place
FBLA’s Who’s Who
Emma Stillings Dickinson High School FBLA President
Rylee Davis Dickinson High School FBLA Vice President
Harlie Muggli Dickinson High School FBLA Secretary
FBLA is a professional organization for students interested in pursuing business careers. This year’s theme of “Together We Achieve” reflects the goals of FBLA members, some of the best and brightest of today’s young people. The mission of FBLA is to inspire and prepare students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences. To learn more, visit FBLA’s website at www.fbla.org, ND FBLA’s website at www.nd-fbla.org or visit us on Facebook at ND FBLA or Instagram at northdakotafbla.