In an announcement on December 23, 2020, 38 members from Rancocas Valley’s Future Business Leaders of America chapter placed at the top of 24 categories of America Regional Competition and qualified for the February state competitions. The Holly Spirit interviewed several winners on this great achievement.

Junior Olivia Morse, who placed sixth in Cyber Security, was completely shocked when she heard the news. “My reaction when I won was actually quite funny. I was sitting at my kitchen table with my mom watching the award ceremony on YouTube. When they finally were announcing my category I became very nervous. All I was thinking is that there was absolutely no way I placed at all. When I heard my name called for 6th place my jaw dropped. I was truly speechless. My mom said I looked like I was going to pass out.”

Qualifying for the state competition is a huge triumph, as students defeated FBLA members from all over South Jersey.

Placing top in regionals requires hard work and dedication. Freshman Lyndsey Finsen, who won third place in Introduction to Information Technology, took time out of her daily routine to prepare. “I studied about 20-30 minutes everyday using tools such as quizlet, study guides, and practice tests,” Finsen said.

Freshman Annika Biggi, who placed sixth in Introduction to FBLA, had a similar study routine. She also credits the techniques she used while taking the exam to her success. “I was able to use test-taking strategies that I’ve learned over the years when taking placement tests, such as eliminating answers that do not seem reasonable.”

The winners gave advice on how future FBLA members can prepare and qualify for the state level competition. Senior Kaitlyn Lum stated “I would definitely recommend studying with people in the same category. Also go on the FBLA website and Quizlet to get to know the material better. You don’t really know what is on the test. Some of the questions are from previous tests and some of the questions are new. Just get to know the basics and that will help a lot with following patterns on the test.”

Morse added, “Never take these tests lightly. They are not easy so you must make sure you are well prepared. No matter what test you choose to take you must work your hardest and study. Make notes too. They help immensely.”