If the school seemed empty at the beginning of March, that’s because the James Caldwell High School FBLA Chapter was off representing JCHS in Atlantic City at the FBLA State Leadership Conference and they did not disappoint with many members bringing home medals, trophies, certificates, and even a state officer position!
What is the State Leadership Conference?
For those who don’t know, the FBLA State Leadership Conference is one of the most important events for FBLA members. Each year the conference follows a different theme with this year encouraging members to “Unlock Your Potential”! Different FBLA chapters from across the state come together and compete in different events that range from chapter events (that share the successes of our chapter), open events (which includes a topic and video production), and state events (which students sign up for). Students who compete and win top four in their event have the chance to attend the National Leadership Conference and get to represent New Jersey for that event! This year the National Leadership Conference is located in Anaheim, California.
JCHS FBLA at the State Leadership Conference
James Caldwell High School brought their all to the conference with so many members returning with Top 4 or Top 10 trophies and medals! Below are all the top 10 winners
- Isabella Margraff, Keya Goplani, and Carter Kaiser took home top 10 for Partnership with a Business Project!
- Vincent Chi was a top 10 finalist for Insurance and Risk Management!
- Will Krusznis, Joe Carsillo, and Braden Schu placed top 10 for Digital Media Production!
- Izabela Saljanin, Katie Podias, and Gabriela Quinteri-Valencia took top 10 for Visual Design
- Caiden Conte and Adeline Lammens made top 10 for Introduction for Social Media Strategy
Huge Congrats to all our Top 10 winners! Listed below are all our students who placed in the Top 4 and have the opportunity to compete at nationals in California!
- Josiah Zaki, Sophia Helou, and Nicolina Castellano took home the 2nd place trophy for Local Chapter Annual Business Report!
- Garner Ghering placed 2nd place for International Business!
- Portia Cina and Julian Folch took the 2nd place trophy for Digital Animation!
- Portia Cina also took 2nd place for Scrapbook!
The successes of our students and the JCHS FBLA chapter doesn’t end there, with our chapter earning recognition and awards and many of the students as well! Listed below are the recognitions and awards
- Our JCHS FBLA Chapter was awarded top 10 in Membership Advancement and 2nd place in Community Service!
- Nicolina Castellano won 4th place for Who’s Who in FBLA!
- Sophia Helou got top 10 in the Gold Officer Award!
- Will Krusznis got Top 10 for the Gold Member Award!
And Mrs. Cassie Hecht was awarded with the Adviser Years of Service Recognition!
Big congratulations to all these FBLA members and to Mrs.Hecht! Also congratulations to the whole FBLA chapter and the James Caldwell High School students who made all this possible! Without all our amazing students the FBLA chapter would not be where it is and earned as many recognitions as it did!
Our New FBLA North Central Regional Vice President for 2025-2026
At each State Leadership Conference, FBLA members have the opportunity to campaign and run as an NJ FBLA State Officer. This is a very difficult task with candidates having to complete three levels of their Business Achievement Awards (BAAs), creation of a campaign video, booth, giving a speech to all members at the conference, and so much more. This year a JCHS student took on the challenge and ran for the NJ FBLA State officer position as North Central Regional Vice President. Huge congratulations to our very own Sophia Helou NJ FBLA’s new North Central Regional Vice President! NJ FBLA is definitely ready to shine with Sophia as she takes on her new tasks of being a state officer!
What’s Next?
Good luck to all the FBLA members who will be participating at Nationals in Anaheim California this June and to Sophia in her new position! James Caldwell High School wishes them the best of luck on their endeavors as they all “Unlock their Potential”!
