Students place in state FBLA competition, qualify for nationals

Several Fox Chapel Area High School and Dorseyville Middle School students placed at the 2024 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference. Senior Micah Cagley, junior Gabriella Hample, eighth-graders Alessandra Sirio and Ayden Wang, and seventh-grader Rishabh Krishnamurthy won first places; seventh grader Dyutit Patro and sixth-grader Shiva Subramanian won second places; sophomore Joshua Shah won third place; and juniors Kai Edwards, Jonah Kline, and Nathan Mackey, sophomores Zelia Herald and Zinta Jacob, freshman Sera Filar, and sixth-graders Annon Edwards, Russell Gardner, and Tucker Patsey all won fourth places. All 17 of these students qualified to participate in the FBLA National Leadership Conference that will be held June 29-July 2 in Orlando, Florida.

Fox Chapel Area High School state place winners in open events (not eligible for the national competition) were senior Micah Cagley (first, fourth and seventh places), senior Laney Porterfield (two first places and second, eighth and ninth places), and junior Kai Edwards (first, second and third places).

Other state place winners included seniors Annalese Bartolacci (eighth place) and Gloria Wen (sixth place); junior Rachel Pegher (sixth place); sophomores Marin Airik (eighth place), Michael Costello (sixth place), and Mason Shelkey-Bray (seventh place); freshmen Jolie Cessna (10th place), Paige Dugan (10th place), Ella Golomb (10th place), and Harrison Parker (ninth place); and seventh-grader Matthew Bartolacci (fifth place).

Additionally, as part of the state leadership conference, several other awards were also given. Four Fox Chapel Area High School students were inducted into the National Business Honor Society, juniors Ridglee Boychuk, Kai Edwards, Caleb Shirk, and Sienna Siegel. Big 33 Community Service Awards went to sophomores Prachi Behal and Rodrigo Silva, seventh grader Rishabh Krishnamurthy and sixth-grader Russell Gardner. Business Achievement Awards were given to sophomores Prachi Behal (Contributor level), Michael Costello (Contributor, Leader and Advocate levels), and Mason Shelkey-Bray (Contributor, Leader and Advocate levels).

The Fox Chapel Area High School chapter of the FBLA also received the Sixth Largest Local Chapter Membership Award with 151 total members. There are 248 chapters in Pennsylvania. The Dorseyville Middle School chapter of the FBLA won first place with the Largest Percentage Increase in local chapter membership. The Dorseyville Middle School chapter had two participating students last year, and this year has 21 members.

The FBLA State Leadership Conference was held in Hershey, Pennsylvania, April 8 and 9.  More than 4,000 students from high schools and middle schools across the state participated in the competition.

The Fox Chapel Area High School FBLA sponsor is business education teacher Christina Congalton.