KO student takes first in statewide business conference
From April 10th to the 12th, twelve Keystone Oaks Students traveled to Hershey, PA hoping to earn a spot at the national conference for Future Business Leaders of America. Not only did four of these students succeed, but one of them, Senior Michael Shanahan, took a stunning first place in his event, surpassing all expectations.
Michael competed in Spreadsheet Applications, an event he chose because he “plans on working in the business world which involves a lot of work in spreadsheets, which means that this event gave me the opportunity to get exposed to what my future has in store.”
Michael’s event consisted of “a production test where I had to follow the given instructions to mimic several different completed spreadsheets as well as an objective test which consisted of 100 multiple choice questions related to the technical side of spreadsheet applications”. As more than 4,000 students attended the Hershey Conference, it was an honor to place within the top ten, let alone the top three or, in Michael’s case, win the event overall. Michael received overwhelming support from peers and club sponsor Beth Smith, all of whom he could hear cheering in the audience even whilst on stage. Michael was “completely shocked when I found out I got 1st place in my event, as I wasn’t even expecting to make the top ten and couldn’t even fathom being the winner, but it was nice to have all the hard work I put into my event pay off and it’s a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life”. This year’s national conference will take place in Atlanta, Georgia from June 27th to July 3rd, and Michael will be accompanied by Mrs. Smith as well as 4th place winners Vivi Besteman, Angela Altieri, and Kat Kocelko who earned a spot in the Hospitality Management event.
Besides the obvious excitement of traveling to a new state, Michael is most excited to “meet many new people from all across the country,” which he will certainly be able to capitalize on as almost 13,000 students and administrators will gather at the national conference this year. Aside from being granted the ability to travel and make new friends, Michael admits that “as both a regional and state officer, FBLA has taught me the leadership and commitment it takes to be successful in the business world” and feels adequately prepared to continue his business education at Robert Morris University this fall. A recording of the FBLA State Awards Ceremony can be viewed online at: http://livestream.com/accounts/14401453/pafblaawards.
Posted: Monday, May 16, 2016