By Eileen Wang
Here we go again! It’s SLC time — one of the busiest yet exciting weeks of the FBLA experience. From Wednesday 4/10 to Friday 4/12, Will East members competed in a variety of State Leadership Conference events, ranging from Business Plan to Coding & Programming to Journalism to Sales Presentation, attended various career exploration workshops and general sessions organized by a youth-led State Officer team, and danced the night away at a disco-themed party. With so much going on in a short period of time, let’s break down the SLC experience in further detail!
First and foremost, welcome to the Hyatt Regency! Unlike past years, Will East SLC competitors were finally able to book rooms in the hotel directly connected to the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, where SLC was held. Unfortunately, excitement quickly turned into disappointment and frustration on the first day of SLC when many members had to wait several hours for their hotel rooms. Most of the male competitors had to wait until 9:30 PM! Aside from the hotel insanity, objective tests (multiple choice tests consisting of 100 questions) as well as preliminary presentation events also took place today.
The next day (4/11), the final round of presentation and case study events were held throughout the morning and afternoon. At nighttime, the NYS FBLA State Officer team for the 2024-2025 season was announced. Congratulations to Monal Gupta for becoming the State Vice President for District 12! Following this general session, all SLC competitors were invited to show off their best dance moves at the FBLA Disco!
On the last day of SLC, all competitors participated in the award ceremony, anxiously awaiting to see if they made the top 5 in their respective events. Taking home a total of 44 awards, including 4th in the Chapter of the Year event, Will East continued its streak of success at SLC! Additionally, many Will East FBLA competitors placed in the top 4, qualifying for the National Leadership Conference (NLC) that will be held from 6/29 to 7/2 in Orlando, Florida. Congratulations to all Will East FBLA competitors, and good luck to all NLC participants!
