Dear Maryland FBLA Members and Advisors,

I hope you all had a great start to the 2022-2023 school year along with an especially exciting FBLA year. With additional in-person events, chapter visits, improved programs, and new interactive means of communication, there is much to look forward to in FBLA this year.

This summer we had the opportunity to attend the 2022 FBLA National Leadership Conference, where our Maryland members competed nationally, attended workshops, networked, participated in the State Meeting, and brought home some national wins.

Now we have a rewarding journey ahead of us to prepare for the 2023 National Leadership Conference in Atlanta. The theme this year is One Association for Service, Education, and Progress, and the Maryland State Officers have developed a comprehensive program of work to ensure our national theme is realized in a synergized network of Maryland chapters. To achieve this goal, communication must be paramount. The Maryland State Officer Team has made it a focus of the program of work to expand communication efforts through cross-platform strategies and consistency.

To ensure your chapter can be a part of this effort, please make your chapter aware of the MDFBLA Instagram and TikTok - @mdfbla. On these accounts, state officers regularly post resources and broadcast opportunities for members. Additionally, the MDFBLA website (www.MDFBLA.org) provides diverse resources for members and advisers, including local chapter officer training materials, competitive event preparation resources, and the chapter visit request form. Finally, the state officer team will be utilizing email blasts for important updates along with our monthly newsletter. Email blasts are open to both advisors and students. If you have any students who would like to be added to the email list, they can do so by completing this form.

As recent years have taught us, the future is uncertain. However, regardless of what the future holds, Maryland FBLA will respond with grace, compassion, and flexibility, holding the education of our members and support of our advisers to the utmost importance.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at Caroline.finn@mdfbla.org, or our Board of Directors Chair, David Jones, at David.jones@mdfbla.org.

Sincerely,

Caroline Finn

MDFBLA State President

Caroline Finn, President, South River High School
Laura Zhang, Vice President, River Hill High School
Noah Duncan, Secretary-Treasurer, Eastern Technical High School
Aaron Ren, Historian, Dulaney High School
Sarah Hurley, Parliamentarian, Northern High School
Sophia Yang, Region 1 Vice President, Urbana High School
Nidhi Patel, Region 2 Vice President, Eastern Technical High School
Katherine Boetig, Region 3 Vice President, South River High School
Olivia Herrin, Region 4 Vice President, Northern High School
David Liu, Region 5 Vice President, Glenelg High School

The Financial Literacy Challenge is back with a new format this year! There will be two events, one presentation and one testing event. You can choose to compete in one or both! For the presentation event, you can compete as a team or individually to create a presentation on a financial literacy topic and present at a live Zoom meeting. For the scavenger hunt-style testing event, you will be able to complete a Google Form using the resources that we provide or any other resources that you find. You will have the opportunity to receive recognition at SLC for both events. Check out the video below for more information!

To sign up for the presentation event, click HERE.

To access the test form, click HERE.

This year, MDFBLA is excited to announce that we are launching a new program: the Spotlight Program! This program gives you the opportunity to shoutout a particular person who has gone above and beyond in their work for FBLA, and deserves recognition for their efforts. Anybody, member or adviser, can be spotlighted. If you would like to spotlight somebody, please fill out the form, and they will make an appearance in next month’s newsletter.

Have an amazing resource your chapter uses? Consider submitting it to the state resource drive! If approved, other chapters will be able to access and use your resource through the state website. Use this form to submit!

Want to have your chapter recognized on a national level? Consider participating in Champion Chapter! Champion Chapter is a series of challenges chapters can complete to earn points. The challenges are divided into four sections: Summer Starter, Shaping Success, Service Season, and CTE Celebration with each section having a deadline to submit. If you’re able to earn at least 1000 points, your chapter members will receive ribbons at the NLC. Want to learn more? Check out https://www.fbla-pbl.org/divisions/fbla/fbla-membership/ to look at the challenges and submit your entries.

Our state officer chapter visits strive to promote involvement in the community, the creation of new programs and initiatives, and business education. We highly encourage chapters to request chapter visits from different state officers to learn about new initiatives, programs, and perspectives!

To request a chapter visit click HERE

Follow Maryland FBLA on Instagram @mdfbla and Facebook @marylandfbla. Also sign up for the Maryland FBLA email list to get regular updates on member information, events, and more!

Website: mdfbla.org