Hello members and advisers! Welcome to a new year in FBLA!!! As we begin an exciting new year, the State Officer Team and I look forward to all of the wonderful things that our state is set to accomplish. At the National Leadership Conference this past summer in Orlando, Florida, we had a countless number of members place in events, we received state awards in community service and State Annual Business Report. We even broke our own record for the number of awards our state has received!

the President’s Corner

with an update from your NJ FBLA State President,

Laura Sorice an introduction to the new year in New Jersey FBLA and review of the 2011 NLC

We networked with other states, met new people, and were enlightened by workshops and speakers. I am sure that we will continue that pattern of success this year. New Jersey looks forward to implementing several new programs and projects this year, including the NJ FBLA Bridge Program, in which new and struggling chapters can partner up with more established ones to have their questions answered, have assistance with meetings, and improve their overall experience. Additionally, we will be establishing a new state publication, a regional newsletter entitled, The Bulletin. I am looking forward to meeting many of you throughout the school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or any of the other State Officers at any time. Good Luck with all of your future endeavors!

ABOVE: Laura Sorice receives recognition for Who’s Who on stage at NLC. BELOW: Laura meets fellow state officers at the Institute for Leaders.

Peace, Love, and FBLA, Laura Sorice

The 2011-2012 New Jersey State theme is

The Keys to Success!

The 2011-2012 community service theme is

Unlock Your Heart!

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11 N

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Orlando, FL

On JUNE 28-JULY 1, more than 200 MEMBERS OF NJ FBLA attended the

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE for the experience of a lifetime

ABOVE: Evan Murphy networked with FBLA members throughout the country at his national campaign booth. BELOW: The Orlando Convention Center, which housed more than 8,000 FBLA members.

LEFT: The Wizarding World of Harry

Potter was a popular attraction.

RIGHT: Members of the state officer

team pose with the NJ FBLA state

banner.

One of the most anticipated events of any FBLA fiscal year is the National Leadership Conference (NLC). This year, the conference took place in Orlando, Florida in a trip jam-packed with networking, intense competitions, and exciting elections. More than 200 members of New Jersey FBLA attended the 2011 NLC and more than 50 members placed in their competitive events!

“Placing in my competitive event was an amazing experience,” said Javed Shah of Sayreville High School, who competed in Digital Design and Promotion. “Seeing all my hard work pay off and being able to stand on the national stage is an experience I will not soon forget.”

Additionally, Evan Murphy campaigned for the position of National Treasurer. The entire chapter of NJ FBLA cheered Evan on as he delivered a speech and national platform in front of more than 8,000 members. Evan ran an amazing campaign and truly made NJ FBLA proud.

Located in Orlando, the 2011 NLC also allowed members to visit prime attractions, like Universal Studios and Disney World.

“NLC was the highlight of my summer,” said Grace Chen of Old Bridge High School. “I made amazing friends and had a truly wonderful time.”

Co

mpe

tition W

inners Business Communication

Michelle Ting (Parsippany Hills)

Community Service Project Amanda Mancini, Alexis Sevecke, Megan Shannon (Pompton Lakes)

Business Calculations Dorothy Chen (Montville Township)

Business Procedures Elora Basu

(Parsippany)

Computer Problem Solving Aditya Dalal (Hightstown)

Emerging Business Issues Benjamin Leff, Eric MacBlane, Eric Mong (Livingston)

Future Business Leader He (David) Li (South Brunswick)

Personal Finance Peter Yao (Livingston)

American Enterprise Project Karli Boniello, Anusha Reddy, Juliann Schwartz (Pompton Lakes)

Business Math Matt Picollela (Pleasant Borough)

Cyber Security Sohum Pawar (Hanover Park)

Business Law John Lu (Hanover Park)

Local Chapter Business Report Piscataway

Business Procedures Sandy Ng (Livingston)

Accounting I Nakul Patel (Marlboro)

Entrepreneurship Daniel Fang, Sarah Jeng, Tim Simon (Whippany Park)

Intro to Parliamentary Procedures Justine Jang (Livingston)

Website Design Tom Barr, Joshua Davidson, Michael Perez (Egg Harbor Township)

Business Ethics Kaiwen Chen, Cindy Wei (Montville Township)

Business Law Lucy Wang (Holmdel)

Computer Game and Simulation Michael Cass, Khang Lam, Patrick

Li (Egg Harbor Township)

E-Business William Cheng, Rohan Chitnis, Richard Kim (Piscataway)

Intro To Business Varun Khurana (South Brunswick)

Public Speaking II Laura Sorice (Old Bridge)

Banking and Financial Systems Lillian Chen, Tsung-yi Wang

(Whippany Park)

Digital Design and Protomotion Javed Shah, Arpit Sheth (Sayreville)

Networking Concepts Jared Katzman (Red Bank Regional)

Intro to Parliamentary Procedures

Sharon Chen (Livingston)

Network Design David Geiss, Colin Mahns (Red Bank Regional)

Networking Concepts Jonathan Beekman (Bergen County Academies)

Spreadsheet Applications Anthony Markowitz (Union County Vocational)

Technology Concepts Chris Barry (Red Bank Regional)

Business Financial Plan Salman Ahmed, Payal Barai, Aparna Yarram (Piscataway)

Economics Varsha Karup (South Brunswick)

Electronic Career Portfolio Adam Valone (Old Bridge)

Introduction to Business Andrew Lee (Marlboro)

Job Interview Karen Chikezie (Egg Harbor Township)

Local Chapter Business Report Wallkill Valley Regional High

School

Parliamentary Procedure Michael Byron, Farrah Liu,

Devin Solanki, Jude Tungul, Jenny Yan (Montville Township)

Business Presentation Bret Bye, Michael Rogers (Egg

Harbor Township)

Bolstering Membership

an update from your NJFBLA

Membership VP, KyungSun Lee

TIPS & TRICKS to increase & strengthen local chapter membership

READY, SET, RECRUIT! The fall always poses the question for new and old members to ponder: Why FBLA? What is the motivation for members to join FBLA and continue it the following year, for that matter? Perhaps it’s the thrill of the competition or the vast collection of scholarships. Either way, it’s time for us to get our gear and get ready to recruit fresh bait. Er, members. So sharpen those business skills and get out your most fitting attire—school has begun!

Spread the Word! The best way to promote your chapter is to go to the places where a lot of people are going to be, such as Freshmen Orientation. Here, you have a chance to speak with new students eager to kick off their high school career. If your school has an area where you can promote extracurricular activities, consider setting up a booth with a poster. Visuals are always a plus, so make sure you put lots of pictures of people from your chapter at various conferences/events. In addition to that, ask your teachers to talk about FBLA in their classes. Parents, as we know, also have an impeccable way of convincing us. So talk up the amazing benefits at Freshman Parent Night or at similar events.

Make 1st Impressions Count For your 1st meeting, play icebreakers to break the awkward barrier and keep the facts to a minimum—just stick to the basics. We assist the March of Dimes, we attend conferences, and we compete. Done. Fill in the details later. Having members up and moving and interacting with one another is what will captivate their attention. That, and free food, of course! Free ice cream anyone? Come to our first FBLA meeting!

What are the benefits? This is where the details come in. You now have their attention.

What did you accomplish last year? What have you gained? What

are the conferences like? Remember, talking about your experiences

makes FBLA more personal and interesting. Showing them how

FBLA has affected you will make the impression more memorable.

the state committees of

New Jersey FBLA

Are you a local chapter president?

Contact your Regional VP to find

out about your qualification for the

NJFBLA Regional Councils.

PUBLICITY COMMITTEE

Aid the Historian with public relations projects

Help to publish the state and regional newsletters

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

Aid the Membership VP in tactics aimed at increasing and developing

membership

COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMITTEE

Aid the Community Service VP with all state community service goals and

projects

PRESIDENT’S ASSISTANTS

Aid the State President with projects and objectives

COMMITTEE CHAIRS: Kaitlin Chaung (Publicity)

KyungSun Lee (Membership) Evan Murphy

(Community Service) Laura Sorice

(President’s Assisstants)

The NJ FBLA Spotlight is

PUBLISHED BY: State Historian KAITLIN CHAUNG

& NJFBLA PUBLICITY COMMITEE

Do you want to write an article for the Spotlight? Contact your state Historian, Kaitlin Chaung, at historian@njfbla.org today!