Somerset Area High School students Robert Grega, Dean Clark, Owen DiFebo and Grayson Yutzy qualified to attend the National FBLA Conference in Anaheim, California, this summer, after competing in a state competition in April.
Somerset sent 21 Future Business Leaders of America members to the FBLA Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference in Hershey. The students qualified to attend the state conference April 6–9, by placing in the top four for their chosen competitive event at the regional competition held at Everett ACM/Everett High School in December. They joined representatives from 276 chapters across the state.
Somerset Area High School sent 21 of its Future Business Leaders of America members to the FBLA Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference in Hershey. The top finishers are from left, front row: Owen DiFebo, Emily Fisher, Dean Clark, Robert Grega and Olivia Hay. Back row: Grayson Yutzy, Gavin Wheeler and Isaac Bell.
Somerset FBLA members are coached and chaperoned by FBLA advisers LuAnn Barron and Sherri Ritenour, who accompanied the group to the conference.
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“FBLA has been a part of Somerset Area School District since the late 1960s/early 1970s. Students have qualified for the State Leadership Conference every year since its inception,” said Barron in an email. “Somerset does not have national qualifiers every year, but since my involvement (2006-present), I have taken multiple students to the national conference over the years.”
At the state competition
The students participated in the opening session at the Hershey Giant Center. The members spent two days competing in their respective events which consisted of online testing or performance events that involved presenting a mobile app, a website or giving an impromptu speech. Students also participated in numerous workshops available ranging from artificial intelligence, numerous topics on preparing for college, how to deal with conflict in the workplace, resume building and more.
Somerset Area High School sent 21 of its Future Business Leaders of America members to the FBLA Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference in Hershey.
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The Top 10 finishers in each event were called to the stage at the Awards of Excellence Ceremony to receive their awards. Somerset’s top 10 team members were:
Robert Grega — first place, Impromptu Speaking (also a 2022–23 National qualifier and competitor); Dean Clark, Owen DiFebo and Grayson Yutzy — fourth place, Mobile App Development; Isaac Bell — fifth place, Website Coding and Development (also a 2023-24 National qualifier and competitor); Olivia Hay — sixth place, Impromptu Speaking; Emily Fisher — sixth place, Intro to Business Communication; and Gavin Wheeler — 10th place, Computer Problem Solving.
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“I worked really hard on a project during my freshman year, but did not qualify for Nationals,” Dean Clark said in an email. “This year (as a junior), I was determined to move on to the national level and put in the extra time to make it happen. I am thrilled to move on to represent Somerset and compete at the national level.”
FBLA has had an active chapter since the late 1960s. The Somerset School District has supported its members who have competed at the regional, state and national levels for more than 60 years, Barron said.
Senior Robert Grega, Somerset FBLA Chapter president and 2-year FBLA Region 17 president, said, “FBLA has made me a better leader both inside and outside the business environment. Over the years, FBLA has helped me improve my public speaking and presentation skills, networking abilities with students and adults, and enhanced my professional development. I enjoyed working with my peers and helping them succeed in their performance events.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset FBLA students compete in leadership conference