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Peter Sutarjo
5/1/16
Do Something: Student Leadership Conference in Ontario
Two weeks ago I was given the opportunity to attend an FBLA (Future Business Leaders
of America) Conference According to the organizations website, the FBLA Mission is to
bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative
leadership and career development programs. Over forty schools from all over California were in
attendance with most schools chapters consisting of over 100 members, while the Jesuit chapter
only consisted of eleven, eight being second semester seniors. Nevertheless, despite the
nonchalant attitude from some of the members, I sought to find meaning and make a positive
experience by learning and socializing. For me personally, this trip was a new experience,
traveling away from home without my family with a suitcase in hand and cash in my wallet. The
importance of independence, connections, and the importance of initiation were the the poetic
traits I derived from the trip.
From packing a suitcase to organizing a day plan, I was forced to set goals for the day
and preemptively plan which workshops I was going to attend, where I was going to eat, and
how much money I could spend each day. The trip made me aware of the logistical calculations
that were entailed with traveling. Part of independence included accepting responsibilities for
ones actions. Given ample freedom to participate or not, we were individually responsible for
the learning and enjoyment of the conference. In terms of competition, a multiple choice exam
regarding a business subject, I admit that I did not prepare sufficiently for the my event due to
my own procrastination. As a result, I did not place in the top ten because of a lack of
preparation. From this defeat, I was able to gauge the amount of effort I must input in order to

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qualify for nationals. To my surprise, many schools like Jesuit did not have class curriculums to
teach the material being tested. Instead, the students took the task upon themselves to study
independently. Knowing there are students that work extraordinarily effusively, I have gained
renewed motivation and desire to apply the tantamount effort.
The importance of connections was stressed in one of the workshops hosted by Shireen
Jaffer. During her presentation, she shared the story of her growing up. She was born in Pakistan
but later moved to Palo Alto. Understanding the importance of networking, she attempted to
hone her skill by talking to random people. Gradually, through embarrassment and repetition, she
became proficient. She told us, Dont make connections with the people who just look
important. Talk to people to make friends because you never know when they might help you.
She then proceeded to regale about a time when she was flying on an airplane and started a
conversation with a random woman to pass the time. One moment led to another, and suddenly,
she was being invited to meet President Obama. Jaffer utilized this story to explain that making
friends and gaining someones trust will open many windows of opportunity to us. Armed with
this knowledge, I now consciously venture to expand my social circle and be a more amicable
person.
The third lesson I gained from the leadership conference was the magnitude of impetus
when accomplishing goals. The keynote speaker Hoan Do, a former member of FBLA and
professional speaker, stressed to the entire audience during his speech at the auditorium that selfconfidence and resilience towards adversity is the ultimate key to success. Although it may
sound cliche as Do admitted, he pointed out that our own doubts, fears, and apprehension
preclude us from reaching our fullest potential. To ameliorate this irrationality, Do emphasized

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the importance of stepping away from the problem and seeing the overall scheme. From Do, I
learned that the key to success is the first step and then the next step.