FBLA Headed to Arizona

By Joshua Walther

COBLESKILL - At the latest CRCS Board of Education meeting on Monday, members listened to a presentation from Ms. Schweigard’s FBLA chapter about attending the national convention in Phoenix, Arizona.

The students explained that out of the 86 members in their club, twenty were selected to attend the convention after placing in the top five in different state-level competitions.

They also said that they’re looking forward to the trip because it’s a great way to network and make new connections to help them in the future, and they’re excited to explore beyond the convention to make the most of the journey.

Explaining their itinerary, the students noted that they plan to depart on a flight from Albany to Phoenix on November 6th of this year, and once they touch down, they’ll get acquainted with the city before attending a Clippers vs. Suns basketball game.

On November 7th, they will check in to the conference and attend workshops all day, ending with a tentative sunset hike around 4 PM.

Finally, they’ll wake up on the 8th to one last morning activity session, where they’ll make their way back to the airport and be back in Albany that same night.

All in all, the estimates per person range from $800 to $1,000, with the expected total coming in at $15,975, but the club has a few ways to mitigate the costs.

First, they noted that Fam Funds donates annually to the FBLA, and they’ve already held a 5K in Carlisle called the Color Run where they raised $600.

However, that isn’t the end of their efforts. The chapter plans to continue to reach out and work with the community and local businesses around Cobleskill to advertise for them while hopefully earning their sponsorship.

Once the fundraising draws to a close, the amount raised will be split evenly among all twenty attending students, hopefully allowing their families to comfortably afford the rest of the trip.

Once the presentation ended, Board President Bruce Tryon was in full favor of the conference, saying “I really like the fact that the conference itself is kind of geared toward networking, and if there’s anything in business that I learned, networking and relationships is everything.”

“Learn as much as you can because it will help you immensely in the future,” he concluded.

Once President Tryon gave his remarks, the Board voted to unanimously approve the trip, much to the delight of the FBLA students.