Fourteen Santa Maria High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) students participated in competitive events at the State Leadership Conference on April 11-14.

Abraham Carrillo-Galindo, wearing a brown business suit, holds his award for eighth place in computer applications. (Courtesy photo)
Abraham Carrillo-Galindo took eighth place in computer applications. (Courtesy photo)

The Saints students competed in various business and financial, entrepreneurship, and software systems development career paths. More than 2,000 FBLA students attended the event at the Anaheim Hilton & Convention Center.

The state leadership competition offers students the opportunity to compete in various business event categories to qualify for the National Leadership Conference of Future Business Leaders of America June 29-July 3 in Orlando, Florida.

While the Saints team didn’t have anyone qualify for the national conference this time, the local club did have a couple of event winners:

Club president Abraham Carrillo-Galindo took eighth place in computer applications, and chapter adviser Cindy Quaid was awarded the Gold Coast Section Adviser of the Year.

Plus, the Santa Maria students had numerous opportunities to attend leadership workshops; hear keynote speaker KD Wilson, educator and author; network with other members; and observe student performance in competitive events.

“This year’s SLC was an amazing opportunity where I got to reconnect with friends from other conferences, build new relationships, and celebrate the work we’ve all put into our respective chapters this year,” said 12th-grader Abraham Carrillo-Galindo, who is the club president.

“Having this experience at SLC allowed me to bid farewell to the organization that, for four years, was one of the most transformative organizations that has shaped who I am today. I thank FBLA and everyone in it for an unforgettable experience,’’ he said.

“This state conference was the last one with my FBLA family,” said Marisol Villegas-Ramirez, club secretary, a 12th-grade student. “Being able to learn more about business, meet new people, and explore Anaheim was the highlight of this conference learning experience.

“Although my time with this organization is almost up, I hope that, whether through FBLA or other organizations, students can create memories with a family, just like I did with the FBLA.’’

“This year was my first time attending an FBLA State Leadership Conference, and I enjoyed it,” said Amy Nova, an 11th-grader. “I got to meet new people and develop my leadership skills, as well as hearing life advice from our keynote speaker, Mr. K.D. Wilson. And overall, I got to have a weekend to connect with members of our chapter.”

Accompanying the students were advisers Alejandra Fulton and Cindy Quaid, and career tech ed student teacher Jevie Buck.

Results of Santa Maria High School FBLA Chapter and Member who placed at the California State Leadership conference: 

Santa Maria High School Chapter was recognized as:
• Champion Chapter for their accomplishments of modeling the ideals of Service, Education and Progress.
• For their participation and contribution and completion of the Community Fundraising State Service Project where SMHS FBLA members collected and donated $600 to the Maui Fire Fund.

Thirteen students completed the Financial Literacy individual project, earning a financial literacy pin. The project shows a demonstration of financial literacy. The students are:

Lizbeth Baez-Aviles, Guadalupe Camacho-Palmerin, Cristian Colores-Hernandez, Irene Cruz-Gonzalez, Adriana DeJesus, Alexis Gonzalez, Evan Hoyos, Amy Nova Garcia, Edwin Oceguera-Briceno, Nathan Ochoa, Alejandro Palacios, Ivan Rivera-Garcia, and Nataly Zamora.

Three individual members completed the Business Achievement Awards: Lizbeth Baez, Nirvana Humbert Rodriguez, and Marisol Villegas-Ramirez.