FBLA dominates competition at 2023 state conference

in News by

As spring break came to an end, 45 Heritage students traveled to Orlando to compete in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Conference, March 24-26. Following two full days of testing, Heritage walked away from the conference successfully. 

Students also had the opportunity to shop at Disney Springs Saturday night and swim in the hotel’s lazy river for fun. Additionally, the conference hosted a volleyball tournament between different schools. Basketball and tennis courts were also open to students.

Middle and high school students could choose to participate in either testing or presentation events, testing their knowledge in various subjects from economics to communications and even healthcare. In order to qualify for nationals, which is held in Atlanta in June, high school students needed to place in the top four in their event. Middle schoolers had to place in the top two. Out of the students competing, 18 students placed and 15 are nationals-bound.

 A complete list of winners can be found below:


First Place: 

Leonid Cherevko – Insurance and Risk Management 

Calvin Mathew – Intro to Parliamentary Procedure 

Sebastian Salaues – Supply Chain Management 


Second Place:

Alexander Allain – Exploring Economics (MS) 

Emma Colarte Delgado – Intro to FBLA 

Aurora Lai – Public Speaking 

Devin Sanders – Securities & Investments 

Emanuel Sasson – Exploring Business Issues (MS) 


Third Place:

Eva Brummer – Advertising

Ethan Brady – Organizational Leadership

Rithvik Marri – Health Care Administration

Mudit Marwaha – Political Science

Charlotte Wu – Business Communications 


Fourth Place:

Melody Cheng & Christine Yu – Exploring Business Ideas (MS)

Luke Freed – Economics

Anagha Iyer – Intro to Public Speaking 


Fifth Place:

Sharvaa Selvan – Business Calculations


Students attend the opening ceremony in professional business attire with friends, preparing for their exams the following day. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado)

Students from both the Plantation and Boca Campus competed. Overall, between the schools, more than a third of the students are moving on to the next level. (Photo/Rivana Stadtlander)

As a rising senior, this is Emma’s third year in the Patriot Post and she’s excited to be the Online Editor this year. Outside of newspaper, she’s Co-President of the journalism honor society, Quill and Scroll, and also the Editor-in-Chief of the Sigma Xi Honor Society magazine. She is also involved in and has officer positions in Science Research, Sigma Xi, FBLA, Model UN, SNHS, and other clubs, including honor societies and her own nonprofit. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching dramas on Netflix, listening to Taylor Swift, and hanging out with friends and family. She’s very excited to work on the Patriot Post this year!