Whiz Kids: Grayslake High School Future Business Leaders Find Success at State Competition

Whiz Kids:

Future Business Leaders of America members and advisers from Grayslake North and Central High Schools attended the 62nd annual Illinois Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference at the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel, Decatur, Illinois on March 25 and 26. Over 1,200 members, advisers, and guests from 73 Illinois FBLA chapters were in attendance. The two-day state conference included activities in personal development, business and leadership training, election of 2011-2012 state officers, and competitive events. 

Whiz Kids' Accomplishments:

During the awards program, the following members from both schools were recognized and honored as winners in various individual, team, and chapter competitive events:

• Jason Lewitzke, Grayslake North, First Place in Business Calculations
• Ruben Robles, Grayslake North, First Place in Economics
• Nathalia Moran, Grayslake North, Second Place in Public Speaking I
• Alex Sanchez, Grayslake North, Third Place in Accounting
• Bridget O’Gorman, Grayslake North, Fourth Place in Job Interview
• Shikha Sodhi, Grayslake North, Fifth Place in Client Service
• Andrea Lamb, Grayslake North, Sixth Place in Hospitality Management
• Taylor Cashman, Grayslake North, Sixth Place in Sports Management
• HinaI Patel, Grayslake North, Ninth Place in Business Law
• Kevin O'Brien, Isaac Parakati, & Kunal Patel, Grayslake Central, Seventh Place in Website Design
• Ashley Wehrheim, Kaitlyn Wehrheim, & Natalie Wickencamp, Grayslake Central, Seventh Place Emerging Business Issues

First through third place finishers will represent Illinois at the National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida in June 2011. This was the second year Robles and Lewitzke have qualified for the national competition, with Lewitzke winning top honors in Economics in the summer of 2010. 

Robles seeks to make it back-to-back National Economic Champions from Grayslake North, while Lewitzke will be preparing for the unprecedented accomplishment of winning top honors in two different events in consecutive years.  

Other FBLA members in attendance were: Grayslake Central - Eric Donahue, Paul Kang, Ruslan Khalihov, Anuj Shah, and Arjun Sarode; and from Grayslake North -  Hannah Collins, Matt Davis, Tarah Pasternak, Liz Teubert and Diana Tablas. 

FBLA Advisers and teachers making the trip were Diane Keuth, LeeAnn Taylor and Michelle Zietlow.

FBLA-PBL is the largest student business organization in the world with more than a quarter of a million members!  FBLA prepares students for "real world" professional experiences. 

For more information about FBLA-PBL, go to www.fbla-pbl.org, www.fbla.gen.il.us, and www.il-fblapbl.org.