Earlier in the year, our very own Warren Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) had the honor of competing at the national level. We had a variety of events represented, ranging from Parliamentary Procedure to Introduction to Event Planning. We sent 25 kids to Anaheim, which is where the National Leadership Conference took place. While all of our students did amazing, two of our very own students took 1st place, cementing themselves in the Warren history books. Anya Polanski and Jiya Shah worked hard, dreamed big, and did the impossible. This is an interview of how they managed to get first.

Can you explain what your American Enterprise Project was about, for people who may not know?

• • AP: Our American Enterprise Project was an educational campaign to support American Enterprise in our community by educating the youth about business concepts at both the high school and elementary levels.
  • JS: Our American Enterprise Project was about teaching people in our community about the importance of American economics in our everyday lives. We visited schools in our area, taught classes about American Enterprise in our community, and hosted events to introduce the concept in a fun and engaging manner.

What inspired you to choose that topic or approach for your project?

• • AP: Our approach was to educate without lecturing, so we created fun activities meant to enforce business concepts in a natural way so that students would want to engage with the American Enterprise system far beyond the completion of our project. We wanted to inspire students to be entrepreneurs and innovators just as we had been inspired by our peers and mentors.
  • JS: Many of our peers and community members had little to no knowledge about the free enterprise system, although it is essential in our everyday lives to understand how money in America flows.

How did you two divide responsibilities and work together as a team?

• • AP: Essentially we tried to work with each other’s schedules so that we had brainstorming and work time together to lay out our plans and then we executed them on our own time. I focused heavily on doing the extensive reports because I enjoy being precise with our data and our message. Whereas Jiya was more focused on the presentation aspect and creating fun activities because she is very creative.
  • JS: We worked really well together! Each time we met up, we would divide responsibilities evenly, from creating and editing presentations to organizing and conducting activities. We set deadlines for ourselves to ensure productivity, which ultimately allowed us to be super successful in achieving our goals.

What was the most challenging part of preparing for nationals, and how did you overcome it?

• • AP: I would say the most challenging part of preparing for nationals was the sheer amount of time we had to put into practicing our script, presenting, and basically memorizing our 17 page report for the impromptu Q and A session.
  • JS: I think the most challenging part of preparing for nationals was dealing with the stress that came with it. Not only did we have to prepare a solid report, we have to make sure that we created and executed an equally captivating presentation, racking up the levels of stress. Having a partner for this project was super helpful, as when the days got stressful, we were able to look out for each other and understand each others’ struggles. We also did a great job in dividing the tasks and completing our work together, and it was such a relief to have that support.

What was it like competing at nationals and hearing your names called for first place?

• • AP: OH MY GOD! Best thing ever!!!!!!!! Nationals was the most surreal experience because you go up against, in our case, 94 of the best teams in the nation, and you think you have no chance of making it far given how talented everyone is, literally everyone is, but seeing the hard work pay off by getting to finals had me literally jumping up and down at 5 AM in my hotel room. Then, making stage at nationals was such a great camaraderie experience because everyone backstage was so incredibly excited for each other and not at all competitive. We all recognized how much work we had to put in for the projects to get to that point so it was more of an admiration for each other than it was a competition. Then, hearing the places go down one by one was, there’s no word to describe it, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I just felt so proud in that moment because I knew Warren FBLA was cheering for me at the front and my friends were watching me on the livestream and this is everything we could’ve hoped for and more.
  • JS: Hearing our names for the first time felt surreal. We were holding each other’s hands on the stage, and as each team was being listed off, our grip grew tighter, until finally it was announced that we were the champions. It was such a big rush of adrenaline, and after walking off of the stage, Anya hugged me super tight and spun me around in celebration!

What skills do you feel you developed most through this experience?

• • AP: I would say, realizing that persistence and dedication does make that much of a difference. Also, if you present yourself to be extremely confident in your work and you truly believe it, others will follow in that belief and you can make a deeper impact because people will rally for your campaign. Also, just being overly excited and showing your true excitement, it’s not common to see excitement, so bringing that into our lives is really refreshing and something that people like to see. Also, that helps with getting the judges on your side when it comes to public speaking.
  • JS: I feel like I have developed patience and the ability to adapt to different situations the most through this experience. We learned to be patient with various groups of individuals, from elementary students to adults in our community, and learned to cater teaching styles and presentations towards our audience.

What advice did you give to other students who want succeed in FBLA or similar competition?

• • AP: You have to be really hype in a professional way. Lock in, meet your deadlines, but also so overtly passionate about your project that it shows in what you do. Everyone is cheering for you, the judges want you to succeed so keep that in mind. Although it is a competition, be as friendly as you can be and remember that winning is not everything, making friends is.
  • JS: Dream the impossible! You never know what you can accomplish if you never allow yourself to take a chance. If you told me that our hard work had won us the Championship last year, I would have never believed you! Don’t let anything stop you from doing your best!

These students showed Warren that hard work, dedication, and commitment pays off in the end. From competing at the district level at the College of Lake County, competing at state, to having the time of their lives at Disney Land, they showed resilience pays off. Warren FBLA is excited to see what they can accomplish senior year!