BY KRISTIN BOYD
Correspondent
Neeraja Konuthula, 16, of Old Bridge, took fifth place in the Principles and Procedures competition at the recent Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference. Neeraja Konuthula has no plans to become a jet-setting business executive who spends her days toting a laptop, cell phone and a pair of Prada pumps.
Instead, she envisions herself as a leading cardiologist, clad in green scrubs and leaning over an operating table, saving someone’s life.
Still, the 16-year-old says her involvement in Future Business Leaders of America at Old Bridge High School makes perfect sense.
“It’s a good place to get together with people,” the rising junior said. “Even if you’re not going into business, you can fit in anyway. I’ve become more confident.”
Neeraja’s growing confidence worked in her favor recently. She ranked fifth in the country during the Principles and Procedures competition at the FBLA National Leadership Conference, held June 29-July 2 in Nashville, Tenn.
“At first, I only wanted to place at regionals,” she said, adding that it was her first time participating in the FBLA competitions. “I didn’t think I would go all the way up to nationals. I’m very happy.”
A teacher suggested Neeraja join FBLA after she did well in a desktop publishing class during her freshman year. Even though the club doesn’t exactly jibe with her career plans, she has been an active member ever since.
At Old Bridge High School, FBLA attracts both business-minded students and those looking to hone their leadership, networking and public-speaking skills, according to co-advisers Karen Venezia and David Morrongiello.
Nearly 400 students participated in FBLA last school year, the advisers said. In addition to learning business fundamentals, the students also hold a career night, donate teddy bears to hospital pediatric wards, decorate area nursing homes and raise money for charities.
“FBLA kind of makes them a well-rounded person,” Venezia said.
While members enjoy the community service activities, the FBLA competitions and annual conference are the highlights of the school year.
But, it takes a lot of work to get to the national level, Venezia said.
There are three rounds of FBLA competition – regionals, states and nationals. All FBLA members are offered the opportunity to compete in one of nearly 20 categories. However, each high school can send only two students per category to the regional competition. A run-off test is given if more than two Old Bridge High School students want to participate in the same event. The top two scorers advance to regionals, held in January.
With help from her advisers, Neeraja decided it was best to compete in the Principles and Procedures category, which covers FBLA’s bylaws, creed and general information.
“You basically have to know everything about the organization,” she said.
The category consists of a 100-question test with multiple choice and true-or-false answers, Neeraja said. Some questions are basic, but others are rather specific, including one that asked about the third line of the FBLA creed, she said.
The test was “no sweat” for Neeraja, who placed first in regionals. She earned a spot at the state competition, where she again took the top spot, besting seven other students from New Jersey.
To prepare for the competition, Neeraja squeezed in some study time between her other school and community activities, including band, Pre-Med Society, Interact, French Club, French Honor Society, Junior State of America and the Old Bridge Library Teen Advisory Board.
“She had a pretty good knowledge base because she was an active member,” Venezia said. “We kept giving her materials, and she just went to town and studied on her own.”
Neeraja often reviewed passed-down notes from older students and information from the FBLA handbook and Web site, www.fbla-pbl.org. Still, she said, “I was surprised I placed fifth. I didn’t think I spent a lot of time studying.”
About 100 students competed in the category at nationals, but Venezia and Morrongiello were not surprised when Neeraja’s name was called as one of the top five winners. The advisers were thrilled.
“My heart stopped,” Venezia said. “I was jumping up and down. I was, like, ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”
“We all jumped up and started cheering for her,” Morrongiello added. “It’s exhilarating because you have to remember that thousands of people competed in this. It’s a really, really big accomplishment for her.”
In addition to Neeraja, six other New Jersey students attended the FBLA national conference: Brigitte Volochinsky, Matt Filik, Suzan Ozcelik, Melissa Crowe, Roy Silverio and James Donohue, all 2006 graduates.
Volochinsky, also the FBLA state secretary, won recognition for “Who’s Who in FBLA.” Filik and Ozcelik placed 15th in the country for their multimedia presentation.
“We’re proud of our whole chapter this year,” Morrongiello said. “They just had an outstanding year. We’re very proud of how they represented Old Bridge High School.”