600 NH HIGH SCHOOLERS CONVERGE ON DWC FOR FBLA CONFERENCE

600 NH HIGH SCHOOLERS CONVERGE ON DWC
FOR FBLA CONFERENCE

(Nashua) — Daniel Webster College (DWC) and the college’s Phi Beta Lambda Chapter hosted more than 600 high school students and their advisors from around the Granite State for their October 19 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) annual Fall Leadership Conference.

Some 31 high schools with 564 students and 62 advisers and/or guidance counselors participated in the day-long program.

The program featured two student workshops, including “Leadership: Who Am I?” led by DWC’s Professor Tom Anastasi, Business and Management Division. The interactive workshop demonstrated to students how knowing key personality traits make you the most effective business person you can be in the areas of leadership, negotiations, motivation, and personal development. Students learned how to deal with people the way that’s best for those people and to tailor their interactions to fit many situations and types of people.

DWC Phi Beta Lambda members led the second workshop, “The Apprentice: A Leadership and Teamwork Adventure,” in which teams of students, supplied with supplies and materials, were asked to develop a model of a marketable product. Each group presented its product to a board of potential investors (Phi Beta Lambda members). Similar to Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice,” some teams were fired.

For Phi Beta Lambda Vice President Vlad Arslanov of Greenwich, Ct., the event is beneficial in several different ways. “It allows us, DWC’s Phi Beta Lambda, to experience hands-on leadership and organizational planning, as well as event management — all crucial skills in the modern business workplace. The workshops leave high school students with a better understanding of the dynamic critical thinking environment present in many areas of contemporary business.” It is important, he added, “to effectively raise a new generation of businesspeople and leaders — and providing them with the tools early on is an important key factor.”

Arslanov was attracted to Phi Beta Lambda a few years ago. The organization, he said, allowed business “kids” to become business people … “I felt it was time for me to fine-tune my knowledge and ability to perform when needed.” His goal is to own and successfully operate his own business.

Phi Beta Lambda President Sarah M. Hunt of San Jose, Ca., enjoys relating to the high school students. “One of my main goals is to enlighten and educate FBLA members about future opportunities that follow high school,” when they can join a Phi Beta Lambda chapter in college — or start one. Phi Beta Lambda and FBLA, she added, are truly “Your Ticket to the Future.”

For Hunt, from the day she was introduced to Phi Beta Lambda, it has been a part of her life, career, and education. Following graduation from Daniel Webster, she plans on enrolling in graduate school to study international business.

Former Phi Beta Lambda President Melissa Ulery of Pike, N.H., chose to become a member of Phi Beta Lambda because she wanted to participate in an organization that would allow her to acquire the essential skills she would need for the future. According to Ulery, through hosting conferences, judging competitions, fund raising, and making professional presentations at local high schools, she enhanced her organizational, time management and other business-oriented skills, all of which will prepare her for entering the workplace. “I enjoy working for an organization that makes a difference,” she said of Phi Beta Lambda.

Daniel Webster College’s Phi Beta Lambda Chapter is a member of the premier collegiate student business association, with the mission to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.