Ash Grove High School seniors are FBLA state champs

Two Ash Grove High School seniors took first place during the competitive event at the Future Business Leaders of America Conference in Springfield on Monday, April 11, and will now go to the national competition in Chicago in June. Alyssa Stevens and Alexis Bryan, both 18, took the top prize together in the E-Business competition.
For the event, Stevens and Bryan had to create a fictional business, which they dubbed the A & A Boutique.
“We had to create a mock online business that would meet a local community need,” said Stevens. “This is why we chose to create A&A Boutique, which was our mock online boutique site. We then had to present our site to a panel of judges at districts and get first. After we got first at districts, we were able to move onto the State competition.”
Stevens said, even before winning first place, just making the presentation gave her a major sense of accomplishment, though she was nervous beforehand.
“I enjoyed the feeling after of our presentations knowing that we did the best we could,” she said.
“The most challenging part for me was definitely calming my nerves before we presented.”
Bryan said she experienced the same kind of pressure during the presentation.
“The most challenging part was presenting,” she said, “because it was stressful. I don’t really know what the most enjoyable part was. It was probably when it was over.”
When she learned that she and Bryan won first place, Stevens said the realization floored her.
“I was completely shocked,” she said. “Honestly, I was expecting us to get somewhere around (fourth to sixth) place. I also had a hard time hearing what place they were calling, so I was just listening for Ash Grove; that way I knew when to go. It wasn’t until I heard them call second place that I even realized we made the top two. I was so shocked that we got first, and you could definitely see the surprise on my face.”
Bryan, who learned the news via social media said she experienced a similar level of surprise when she heard that they had won first place.
“I actually wasn’t able to be there, so I was informed over Snapchat that we got first place,” she said. “I initially thought it was a joke, but then I said, “We’re going to Chicago!”
The girls will leave for Chicago on June 29 and return on July 3.
Moving forward
Looking to the future, Stevens said she hopes to have a career in medicine while also raising a family.
“I am going to attend MSSU in the Yours to Lose Accelerated Medical Program,” she said. “This means I will do my first three years at Missouri Southern to get my bachelor’s in biology. Then, I will matriculate straight into the medical program at KCU’s Joplin Campus. This is where I will receive my Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine. From there I will do a pediatric residency, followed by a pediatric critical care fellowship.”
Bryan on the other hand, is still looking to see what life brings her way.
“Honestly, I’m just taking it one day at a time,” she said.