Over 60 Heritage students spent their spring break competing at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) state competition. Students competed in a variety of tests, from presentations to role-play events, objective testing and case studies. 

The competition took place March 15-17, in the Hilton Convention Center in Orlando. With many events having preliminaries followed by finals, students were kept busy for days and were also provided with countless opportunities. This included a volleyball tournament for competitors, a marshmallows roasting pit, as well as campaigning events and workshops. 

 Saturday night, following competitions, students went to Disney Springs to have dinner, watch movies, see live Broadway shows and go shopping. 

Before the awards ceremony on Sunday, students had the chance to go go-karting in the Andretti Karting center which also included Laser Tag, 7D rides, an arcade and bowling. Buffet-style food was provided to all students from both the Heritage and Boca campuses. 

In addition to competing, junior Maliha Daya ran for state office to be the next Region V vice president. Daya spent the entire Saturday campaigning, appealing to her crowd with candy, crowns and hand sanitizers. At the end of the awards ceremony, she was announced as the next Region V state vice president and was inducted into office. 

At the awards ceremony, the top four places were announced in each category, with them moving on to nationals taking place in Orlando as well. The following students placed and will be moving on: 

First Place:

Introduction to Event Planning: Noah Abel, 10

Business Management: Maxim Kochkin, 12

Introduction to Business Concepts: Angelina Lin, 10

Introduction to Marketing Concepts: Karthik Maddineni, 10

Personal Finance: Devin Sanders, 12

Business Communications: Charlotte Wu, 12

Exploring Business Ideas: Christine Yu, 8, Roma Agrawal, 8, Melody Chung, 8

Second Place:

Journalism: Emma Colarte Delgado, 11

Economics: Juhi Dameley, 12

Sports and Entertainment Management: Laura Maron, 10

Introduction to Financial Math: Pranav Rai, 10

Third Place: 

Marketing: Medha Balaji, 11

Sales Presentation: Maliha Daya, 11

Supply Chain Management: Malcolm Owusu, 12

Personal Finance: Ronak Patel, 11

Fourth Place:

Marketing: Isabelle Cipolla, 12

Hospitality and Event Management: Sophia Kreimerman, 11

Health Care Administrations: Rithvik Marri, 12

Public Service Announcement: Mikaella Mishiev, 10

Public Policy and Advocacy: Anya Pinto, 12

Business Calculations: Harshith Reddy, 12

Public Speaking: Shreyan Singha, 11

Sports and Entertainment Management: Ava Weissman, 10

^{The competitors who placed in the top four were invited on stage, to then listen to which place they won (first, second, third or fourth). Pictured above, junior Emma Delgado and senior Charlotte Wu realize they are in the top two competitors of their category, beating out the rest of the 40+ students in their category. The awards were livestreamed for parents at home to watch. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado and Maliha Daya).}

^{From left to right, juniors Sophia Kreimerman, Jeeya Patel, Zoe Horwitz, Maliha Daya and Emma Delgado pose before the awards ceremony. Patel stated, “The anticipation leading up to the awards was much more than the anticipation of taking my test. It’s just so much more emotions and nerves running through you.” (Photo/Haleh Afshani)}

^{Junior Ronak Patel poses signals he is ready for take-off while racing his other friends in go-karting. They had the ability to circle around the track four times before having to give up their carts to the next round of students. (Photo/Harry Torres)}

^{Juniors Haleh Afshani and Isabella Nacimiento play basketball at the arcade after their go-karting round. In addition to arcade games, the center has virtual reality and laser tag available for all students to participate in. Each laser tag session was about 10 minutes long, and each student was provided with a pass for around five arcade games. (Photo/Emma Colarte Delgado)}

_{Junior Maliha Daya manned her booth, with the assistance of her friends, while informing other members of Region V about her plans as an officer. “I planned to make comprehensive study materials for our delegates, which include more than just Quizlets. I also want to involve more of our school members in regional events, such as service projects,” Daya said. She appealed to voting delegates and other members of her region by offering them crowns, glasses, stickers and flyers. (Photo/Emma Colarte Delgado)}

_{The Heritage delegates stand together, taking a photo before heading to the awards ceremony. (Photo/Harry Torres)}