Seventy-two Mount Pleasant High School members of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competed at the State Leadership Conference at the Galveston Convention Center on April 10-12 with 9 students qualifying for Nationals and one additional student named an alternate.

Those advancing to Nationals, their events, and their places at state include:

American Enterprise Project: Gopi Amin, Sophie Greco, and Kiara Rundles (3rd)

Future Business Leader: Hope Powell (3rd)

Business Calculations: Luke Thurman (3rd)

Healthcare Administration: Kaylee Connally (4th)

Graphic Design: Jillian Jetton, Jocelyn Marroquin and McKinsee Oviedo (4th)

Mobile Application Development: (alternate) Aloani Laboy (5th)

The following were recognized as state finalists for making the top 10 in their events:

Business Calculations: Tanner Marshall 10th

Business Ethics: Dalia Balderas, Roselynn Ramirez, Sabrina Otero-Svirska 10th

Client Service: Mea Banda 7th

Cyber Security: Jazlynn Juarez 7th

Financial Statement Analysis: John Freeman, Nathan Martinez, Shpat Zeqaj 8th

Healthcare Administration: Brissia Alvarez 7th

Insurance and Risk Management: Addison Heeren 7th

Journalism: Joseline Almazan 10th

Organizational Leadership: Natalia Aspeitia 6th

Other awards and honors included junior, Gopi Amin, who was recognized as the Who’s Who award recipient for the MPHS chapter. Junior, Diya Desai, was elected the State Area 6 Vice President, becoming the third-ever representative from MPHS. Outgoing Area 6 Vice President, senior Sophie Greco, was recognized on stage with a plaque and remembrance video. And chapter advisor, John Whitten, was the recipient of the Joan E. Boruk FBLA Texas Advisor of the Year and will be recognized at the National Leadership Conference.

Also recognized on stage for taking 1st place in the FBLA Goosechase scavenger hunt was the Mount Pleasant team of Gopi Amin, Kiara Rundles, Mea Banda, and Kaylee Connally, with the team of Jillian Jetton, Jocelyn Marroquin, Bri Davis, and McKinsee Oviedo finishing in 3rd.

The FBLA National Leadership Conference is set for June 27-July 2 in Orlando, FL. MPHS FBLA advisors are Whitten, Shanta Lockett, and Tracy Porter.

Photos:

Advisors: MPHS FBLA Advisors (L to R) Tracy Porter, John Whitten, Shanta Lockett

Amin: MPHS Who’s Who award recipient, Gopi Amin

Desai: Diya Desai (center) is recognized as the 2024-2025 Area 6 State Vice President along with fellow new officers

Greco: Sophie Greco is recognized as the outgoing Area 6 State Vice President

National qualifiers: MPHS FBLA National Qualifiers (L to R) Luke Thurman, Jillian Jetton, McKinsee Oviedo, Jocelyn Marroquin, Advisor John Whitten, Kiara Rundles, Sophie Greco, Gopi Amin, Kaylee Connally, Hope Powell, Aloani Laboy (alternate)

Whitten: MPHS FBLA Advisor, John Whitten, is presented the Joan E. Boruk FBLA Texas Advisor of the Year award