AHS senior gives thanks to advisors, fellow chapter members
It’s a busy time of year for Aurora senior Graham Christenson, who is currently serving as the Nebraska president for Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Elected in April of last year, Christenson credits his success to support from his fellow chapter members.
“I felt like all the members from Aurora really rallied around me and were asking me what they could do to contribute to my campaign and that helped me succeed,” Christenson said.
Much of the senior’s involvement in FBLA was inspired by former business teacher, Lois Hixson, who encouraged Christenson and his classmates to learn more about business through FBLA.
“She encouraged me to come to the first FBLA meeting, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to go to it and see if it’s something I would enjoy,” he explained.
Finding joy in learning about social media strategies and marketing, he continued to participate in FBLA and during his sophomore year, a fellow member of his chapter encouraged Christenson to take his work in the program to the next level.
“I was swayed by Caden Carlson, who was a state officer before, to consider running,” he explained. “I ran for state reporter, was elected there and it just all keeps building on itself until where I am today.”
Christenson’s campaign for state president began in February of last year, when he took a screening test and was interviewed by the board of the directors at Nebraska FBLA. After passing the screening, Christenson traveled to Kearney to present his campaign at FBLA’s State Leadership Conference (SLC).
“In April, I gave a two-minute campaign speech on stage in front of 2,000 members and advisors,” he commented. “That’s a nerve-wracking experience, but I’m glad I had that chance.”
In addition to addressing the FBLA members in attendance, he showcased his campaign in the commons area of the Younes Conference Center were SLC took place.
“My junior year campaign slogan was ‘Grow with Graham,’” Christenson stated. “Then last year it was ‘S’more Graham.’ I had a campaign booth all set up, handed out candy and sunglasses. That was cool just to be able to network with all the members who would come and go throughout the day.”
He also expressed excitement about meeting and running against the other candidates from different FBLA chapters across Nebraska.
“When I ran as reporter, I ran unopposed, so I wasn’t running against other candidates,” Christenson explained. “It was awesome to be able to run (for president) against other really great candidates just because I felt that pushed me to work harder if I wanted to succeed and become elected.”
Following a primary election among his peers at SLC, Christenson was elected to serve as state president for the 2023-2024 year. With added responsibilities on top of his high school studies, college prep and extracurriculars, serving as state president has become a balancing act for Christenson.
“It has been a little bit difficult because we’ve had two basketball games, practices, along with all the FBLA events I’m trying to work through,” he stated. “I had to miss a basketball game last Friday for it, so it definitely builds up.”
Christenson expressed appreciation for his FBLA advisors, Lydia Bankson and Jacqui Garrison, who have helped him throughout his time in the program.
“They’re all super willing to work with me through those conflicts as long as I’m opening lines of communication with them,” he said.
Christenson says a recent trip to Lincoln to meet Sen. Loren Lippincott for Legislative Day along with student officers from FBLA, FFA, FCCLA and other organizations, put his communication skills to the test.
“We were there advocating for career and technical education and our organizations,” Christenson explained. “Those roles have played a big part within our lives and it means a lot to the senators to be able to hear about things we’ve been doing. The student voice is especially powerful in swaying them to vote for bills that would support us.”
One of the future events Christenson is looking forward to is participating with his chapter at SLC once more, because the event has been at the center of many of his favorite memories from four years in FBLA.
“I did a virtual SLC my freshman year which was not nearly as fun,” he explained. “It felt like last year we were finally getting back into the groove of what real in-person physical conferences felt like.”
Christenson competed in Social Media Strategies with previous Aurora secretary Aleah Vinkenburg and previous chapter president, Kylie Svoboda, and they won first place. Christenson’s team then attended the National Leadership Conference of FBLA in Atlanta, Ga., and placed ninth in the nation.
Christenson it was the journey of preparing for that competition that brought him to the realization of what he wants to pursue beyond FBLA.
“We were creating a mock social media campaign to address food insecurity in our community,” Christenson said. “I realized how much I enjoyed all the research, figuring out what marketing campaigns are successful and how you successfully plan a campaign out so it would be successful in the real world. That got me interested in the career of marketing which I want to pursue in the future.”
Currently Christenson is deciding between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Creighton University and plans pursue a major in marketing.
“I think ultimate end for me is I want to be able to open up my own marketing agency where I would get the chance to work with different companies and assist them in establishing marketing campaigns,” Christenson stated.
Expressing his appreciation for everyone involved in his chapter, Christenson said, “I would like to thank the Aurora FBLA program for all the opportunities that it’s provided me throughout my time in Aurora FBLA. I’ve had numerous great advisors who have kind of pushed me to be a better student and leader. I’m grateful for all the chances and knowledge that I’ve gained through my experience in FBLA.”
Editor’s note: Elsewhere in this week’s ANR edition are an article about Giltner FBLA President, Phillips Kreutz and an article detailing the history of FBLA.