Future Business Leaders of America

 

Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA-PBLA was one of the major activities of my high school years.   The club was open to any students in the 9th through 12th grades.   In order to join we needed to be enrolled in a business or business related class, which was one of my interests.  I first enrolled in type classes, where we learned to type on the IBM  Selectric typewriters.  I also had classes in shorthand, and during my senior year was in the Business Block which was two full class periods of studying office procedures.   Our Business teacher was the State Chapter Advisor, and had also been my 2nd grade teacher in elementary school.  She and her family were also members of our local Ward or church congregation, and her eldest daughter was one of my group of friends.  I've always looked up to her and her family as examples and mentors in my life.

During the year we would  participate in regional and statewide business competitions and also be invited to attend the State and National FBLA Leadership Conferences.  Over the years I participated in events in Spelling and Parliamentary Procedures and Business Office Procedures.   My first times flying and staying in hotels in large cities were when we attended the National conferences in  Washington DC  and San Francisco in 1978.   I was actually able to participate in the competition for Business Procedures in San Francisco.   The competitions and activities allowed me to meet other high school students from all over the country and we were able to see many of the sights in these cities.  In Washington we toured the White House, the National Mint, Mount Vernon, and explored the Mall with the Washington and Lincoln memorials and the reflecting pools,  Arlington National Cemetery, The Library of Congress The National Zoo, and other many other sites. As a bonus, my older sister was able to join us as one of the chaperones on the Washington DC trip. In San Francisco I had my first dinner in China Town. I remember that I ordered Almond Chicken and loved it. We also explored Fisherman's Wharf and rode the boat to Alcatraz Island. 

I'm certain that my business classes and FLBA experiences helped prepare me to be able to find and at work part-time typist and office jobs throughout my college years, and to find the data entry job that has led to my current job at the local community college Admissions Office.  

Are any of you kind readers past or present members of FBLA-PBLA?  

What clubs or activities did you participate in  during your high school years?

Were you able to travel to new cities while you were in high school?