Members of Future Business Leaders of America will compete at the FBLA National Conference in Atlanta.

To qualify for state, they participated in the annual State Leadership Conference where 1,500 students competed from 90 high schools in Springfield April 1-2.

Senior Ethan Cuka, junior Garrett Hosticka, sophomores Michael Sawicki and Sebastian Cuka have qualified for the Atlanta competition. 

Hosticka and Sawicki took online tests. Ethan and Sebastian Cuka created a game that they submitted prior to the conference for grading. They presented the game and answered questions at the conference.

Each student placed in the top four in their particular events. This will be the second national conference for Hosticka and Sawicki.

“It’s in Atlanta, a place my brother and I have not gone too. We’re excited to see all the different people there and the competition,” Sebastian Cuka said.

Over 12,000 students and 500 schools will attend the national conference.

“I joined freshman year but I really got involved after I qualified for nationals last year though. And then I decided to run for secretary of our chapter, and now here I am. But I enjoy every bit of it,” Sawicki said.

FBLA is the largest business student organization in the world.

“It is the first business education association preparing students for careers in business developing leadership, communication, networking, and team skills,” FBLA adviser Maria Wirth said.