WEST ORANGE, Nj — In West Orange High School (WOHS) there are many clubs that cater to students’ future career interests. One of these clubs is The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). The FBLA helps students enter a daily business operations forum and allows them to see and evaluate the different aspects of the business world. The club’s Head Advisor, Ms. Hanson teaches business education at WOHS. With her guidance, the club as been able to accomplish many things in the past few years such as field trips and donations to troops stationed abroad. The club also participates in Wall Street Walks.

Wall Street Walks show students the financial district of the world, and provide a valuable history lesson on how finances shaped America. The FBLA also conducts an annual business forum and brings in a panelist of speakers with a broad range of backgrounds. Speakers usually discuss entrepreneurship or entertainment and show students the value of working hard.

This year’s annual  Business Forum included a panelist of entrepreneurs and computer specialists. Sakina Cole the CEO of Cole Media, INC. spoke and was followed by Omari Edwards, a software architect and founder of Beak an analytics software platform. Edwards spoke about his role as the underdog and coming out on top while still being true to himself.

After Edwards came one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, CEO/Founder of Monami Entertainment LLC, a leading lifestyle and entertainment company, Mona Scott-Young.

Scott-Young stated, “Stay up, look for open space, and be ready for a roller coaster ride in life.”

What is to be expected from the FBLA coming up? The club plans on gaining more traction with notability and popularity among students and is working to improve its student base. Although the club has experienced a member increase since 2015, the club is working hard to gain more members. The FBLA recently held a raffle for a 100% real tiffany necklace plan to host more raffles in the future. If a student is interested in joining the FBLA they should contact Ms. Hanson at [email protected] for more information.