School Club Is in the Business of Winning

The academic and business skills of some of Moorpark’s bright young leaders will be on full display Saturday as 140 students from , all members of the Future Business Leaders of America, travel to West Ranch High School in Valencia to compete in the FBLA Gold Coast Section Competition.

The competition brings together high school students from across Southern California to test diverse areas of business and technical knowledge. The will to win is fierce, and because Moorpark High has won the sectional competitions for the last 19 years, the students have a reputation to uphold.

The lead adviser for this on-campus club for the last 13 years has been MHS technology instructor Zosia Blair, who teaches computer graphics and business. She explained the purpose of the competition.

“It’s to provide leadership opportunities for students, as well as give them avenues to compete in over 50 different areas that are business and academically oriented,” she said.

In all, about 1,200 students will be tested in areas such as personal finance, entrepreneurship, accounting and dozens of other categories. Some students will compete in two categories. Each timed test consists of 100 multiple choice questions, and the tests are difficult.

“The business law exam, for instance, has been said to be as difficult as the state bar exam,” Blair said.

She said she is proud of her school’s winning record. In the past, some of her club members have gone on to the state and national competitions. She estimated that of the 140 MHS students participating this weekend, about 45  will make it to the state finals. Perhaps another five will qualify for the national competition, she guessed.

Rajan Tatel, a junior, is the current FBLA secretary. He will be competing in the computer problem-solving and health-care administration categories. Tatel said the camaraderie is strong among his fellow students in FBLA.

“It’s fun,” he said. “All of us are like one big family.”

But he gains more out of this than just friendship, he said.

“It looks good on our college apps and it teaches really good leadership qualities,” he said.

Jeff Niu is a junior who will be tested in database design and spreadsheet applications. He said he likes the fact that FBLA gives him marketable job skills.

“Much of what we learn is what employees do on the job, so it's real business,” he said. “It’s teaching you a lot of important things beyond the school community.”

FBLA was started in 1937 by Dr. Hamden L. Forkner of Columbia University. Today it serves 15,000 elementary students, 215,000 high school students, 11,000 college students and 3,000 adult learners. Its stated purpose is to inspire the development of leadership in core business and technical skills.

Judging by the size of the club at MHS— 250 students—Blair and FBLA must be doing something right. As they gathered for a pre-competition meeting Thursday, the room was buzzing with excitement over the upcoming event. Best of all, the students seemed to be having fun.

And given the numbers and quality of students competing, after 19 consecutive championships, the Musketeers might just bring home that 20^th trophy. The only problem is where to put it.

“We’ve run out of space,” Blair said with a smile.