As you walk through the main entrance of Ankeny High School, you will see the vibrant banner taped to the catwalk and below that, a long line of students. Some are chatting with their friends while others are on their phones, but nonetheless all are impatiently waiting to buy spooky pookies. 

Spooky pookies are Tootsie Pops wrapped in white cloth with some Halloween decorations that are sold by Future Business leaders of America (FBLA). Spooky pookies help the club to fundraise for their field trips and conferences.

FBLA is a club that helps students succeed in the business world and increase their leadership skills by attending conferences, volunteering and visiting businesses throughout the community.

“The biggest thing that we do is attend fall and spring conferences,” Carrie Wempen, AHA CTE teacher and FBLA advisor for the Ankeny Chapter said. “Fall conference is when you listen to business speakers talk and attend workshops, whereas state conference in the spring is when you compete in various events and if you place in top three, you can move on to nationals.”

Last year, three AHS seniors Isabel Crabbs, Eden Schuchart, and Carson Upenieks, qualified for the FBLA National Leadership Conference and flew to Orlando, Florida. They placed in the top 100 in their category. Senior Carson Upenieks went to Florida for Nationals.

“Nationals was in Florida and it was a lot of fun […] There’s so many competitive events that don’t even focus on business at all. A lot of it is mostly just leadership and building yourself for the future,” Upenieks said. “There was a lot of different fun stuff, like one day we went to Universal Studios, we also would have gone to the beach.”

As Upenieks said, it is not just about business and competition. FBLA fosters a reportedly welcoming environment where members can connect, share their experiences, and support each other through their journey. They offer multiple activities to do for students to relax and enjoy time with their friends.

FBLA has reportedly made a significant impact on the community by organizing events like the blood drive, volunteering, and preparing students to become community minded.

“One of our ongoing goals is to increase the membership,” senior and  FBLA president Isabel Crabbs said,

This year they achieved their goal. More than 15 people attended the fall Conference compared to the six people that attended last year.

“I think FBLA is something that is new for a lot of high school students so they don’t know what it is,” Wempen said. “That’s why I do my best to kind of ease them in because it’s hard to throw students into one big thing if they don’t know what it is.”

Wempen wants students to know how big of an opportunity it is, especially for those who are going into the business field. Reportedly, FBLA student members enjoy participating in its activities. Crabbs has been doing FBLA for a few years and her advice for anyone who is thinking about joining the club is to just do it. It might seem intimidating at first but the friendships, and the experiences that you gain along your journey is worth it.

“I think that FBLA just gave me the opportunity to use my skills in a productive way,” Crabbs said. “It’s a good opportunity… [and] in my case it allowed me to gain a higher a position in FBLA and to serve the organization”