Ritenour’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA)  clubs are going to be going to state for a multitude of entrepreneurship competitions.  FBLA State will be held on April 14 through the 16 in Springfield, MO.  The DECA state competition will be held on March 24 in Kansas City, MO.

FBLA will be competing against more than 500 other Missouri schools. Business teacher Kelly Holloway is the advisor for DECA and FBLA. She has been the advisor for both clubs since she first came to Ritenour and will be chaperoning the FBLA and DECA club to state.  The FBLA club will be going to state to compete in Organizational Leadership, Self Presentation, and Business Start-up.

Senior Gabriela Garcia-Figueroa will be going to state for both FBLA and DECA.  She will be competing in Start-up Business, Business Plan, and Entrepreneurship.  There are five other members of Ritenour’s DECA club, but she will be the only one in Ritenour’s DECA club going to state this year.

Garcia-Figueroa did not expect to experience the success that she did at her initial competition.  

“I was shocked because I got second place on my business plan…” Garcia-Figueroa said.

Junior Tyrell Gilwater will be participating in Global Business and Organizational Leadership for FBLA. Gilwater has been in FBLA for three years, but this will be his first time going to state for FBLA.

“I was ecstatic because it was the first time and I worked hard and studied a lot during this school year,” Gilwater said.

Junior Andrea Rojo and Gilwater both placed second in Global Business, freshman Gabrielle Anderson placed fifth in Impromptu Speaking, and junior Zakija Goree placed fourth in Client Services.

Junior Nikeya Simmons will be competing in Self Presentation.  This is also her first time going to state and her first year with FBLA.  After high school, she would like to join a company that has a goal of helping people.

“What makes me pick those career paths is my grandma, because she got sick and I learned how to help her. That is why it kind of helped me get towards my career, it was because of my grandma,” Simmons said.