After weeks of preparation, late night brainstorming sessions, and countless practice runs, Ms. Julie Ratliff’s students have done the unthinkable. They have swept the Future Business Leaders of America competition, with nearly EVERY SINGLE student playing in their categories. Greeley West High School spartans didn’t just compete- they dominated.
For those who are unaware of FBLA, it is the premier organization for students who are in love with business, entrepreneurship, and leadership. The competition is intense, with students from across the state battling it out in categories that range from marketing to finance to public speaking. Now, this year, Ratliff’s students entered determined, prepared, and ready to win, and that’s exactly what they did.
Ratliff, the driving force behind the program, believes that much of the preparation for FBLA happens naturally in class. “Many of the things we do in class prepare students for FBLA without even realizing it,” she said. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking for the competition requirements and judging them against the scoring sheets. This allowed the students to make sure they were fully prepared.”
Beyond just preparation, she gives credit to the student’s excitement for business and entrepreneurship as what truly sets them apart. “Our students here at Greeley West are awesome! THey are excited about business and exploring entrepreneurship,” she said.
With such impressive showing at FBLA, Ratliff is super excited about what this means for the school’s business program. “I am so excited by this year’s success at FBLA. It has brought exposure to our program, and I hope that that will help us continue to grow,” she said.
One group, senior Makai Mireles, senior Aydan Young, and senior Nick Tijerina, from Greeley West competed in the Social Media Strategies category. They were tasked to complete a marketing campaign for an eco-friendly clothing brand. Their preparation involved them researching sustainable fashion, reviewing the rubric, and ensuring carefully that their presentation met the requirements and the judge’s standards.
“The most rewarding part of the experience was actually getting to go up on stage with my teammates,” Mireles shared. “It felt nice to know that we had accomplished it, even though we were doubting ourselves for a minute.”
Their road to success wasn’t without obstacles. “The challenges we faced as a team were that we weren’t necessarily on the same page because we didn;t know the operation. Yeah, with prep we were missing a couple things in our presentation the day of, and my teammates also forgot their materials,” the Mireles explained.
Despite the challenges, placing fourth was a major achievement for this team, because now they will be preparing for State FBLA competition. “Placing fourth was nice because we didn’t know that we were going to make it in the first place, but now that we’re going to state competition, it makes us more motivated because we now actually want to put 100% of our effort into this because we know that we could do better than just fourth place,” Mireles said.
Ratliff hopes this year’s success encourages more students to take risks and put themselves out there. “My advice to students is to take a chance and become a joiner. You are more prepared than you realize. Putting in the effort and putting yourself out there is totally worth it! Plus, you have more skills than you realize!” she said.
Her students also emphasize the importance of teamwork in competitions. “To always trust your teammates, even though they might have different opinions about something than you, they’re still going to get it done. They’re going to work hard for you just because you all have the same goal of succeeding,” Young shared.
