This past June, Warren’s own Jahnavi Kolli was elected as the National Secretary of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). This was no small feat; this organization is home to over 230,000 members worldwide, and aims to educate and prepare students for the business world. Throughout the year, they host conferences, competitions, and other events. The membership year is concluded at the National Leadership Conference, where those who have qualified in their respective states get a chance to place at the national level. Additionally, this conference elects and swears in the next set of national officers for the preceding year.
FBLA’s NLC was hosted in Atlanta this summer, bringing together thousands of high-school and middle-school students at the Georgia World Congress Center. While this took place over the summer, Kolli had been preparing for this event since November when she decided to run for Secretary. Having held many leadership positions in FBLA already, such as Illinois State Parlimentarian, Kolli knew she was ready to “make an impact at the national level.”
The first step was to develop a slogan and theme for her campaign. These seemingly small details truly can make an impact in whether or not a candidate is elected; having a catchy slogan and enticing visuals make the first impression to a voting delegate that is comparing your campaign booth against another candidate’s. So, she created her theme for her campaign: “Journey with Jahnavi”. Kolli got to work designing the graphics, centering around the concept of an experience one might have on an airplane: boarding tickets, travel magazines, packing peanuts, even a wearable cardboard airplane. These creative ideas were used to outline her goals and policies as National Secretary; Kolli advocated to create more state officer summits, networking opportunities for members, a national resource bank, a DIE committee, and much more.
This process was, as any election is, a big investment of time (and money). As Kolli revealed, there was a lot of “uncertainty”. Putting months of effort into a campaign, knowing there’s a possibility you won’t be elected, is a risk she was willing to take. Kolli also had to navigate the politics behind it; in FBLA elections there are rules set forth that can get you disqualified if you do not adhere to them. While Kolli was diligent in making sure she stuck to the guidelines, there were still attempts made to report her.
At the opening ceremony, Kolli solidly delivered her speech in front of thousands of FBLA members, a surely nerve wracking experience. Throughout the conference, Kolli spent roughly fourteen hours a day campaigning, networking, and competing still. Admittedly, she “had a lot of help” in making this possible; fellow state officers and friends promoted her candidacy and spent time at her booth. It all came to a head the night of the closing session. Warren FBLA held their breath as the results were announced, and erupted in cheers when they heard her name called. Kolli was then sworn in as the next FBLA National Secretary, and Warren began their nearly twenty-one hour journey home (if you know, you know).
