More than 9,500 of America’s best and brightest high school students traveled to Texas to Create. Lead. Inspire. as they competed for the opportunity to win more than $179,000 in cash awards.

The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Leadership Conference was held June 29–July 2 in San Antonio. Participants from across the United States and abroad attended this exciting conference to enhance their business skills, expand their networks, and participate in more than 70 business and business-related competitive events.

Vestal High School Junior Alex LaClair received national recognition at the FBLA Awards of Excellence Program on July 2. Alex competed in Impromptu Speaking and brought home eighth place.

The award was part of a comprehensive national competitive events program sponsored by FBLA-PBL that recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. For many students, the competitive events are the capstone activity of their academic careers. In addition to competitions, students immersed themselves in interactive workshops, visited an information-packed exhibit hall, and heard from motivational speakers on a broad range of business topics.

About FBLA-PBL, Inc.

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc., the premier student business organization, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education association with a quarter million members and advisers in over 6,500 active middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. FBLA-PBL’s mission is to inspire and prepare students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences. The association is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. For more information, visit fbla-pbl.org.

“Alex deserves all the recognition for his hard work and dedication,” said Vestal HS FBLA advisor Annette Mezzadonna. “I feel very privileged to guide him and the FBLA students at Vestal High School.” She added, “I also want to thank the District for supporting our endeavors!”