Cupertino FBLA's Project SHINE Offers Unique Learning Experience

Project SHINE partnered with a local tutoring business named Communication Academy to hold two interactive business workshops in the month of January for Cupertino FBLA members. This program was followed by a post-survey, to see how much the members have improved since the pre-survey. The questions were exactly the same, but all of them directly related to key aspects of the workshops. The workshops focused on real life business skills that a professional uses in day to day life, and were hosted by adults who have experience in the topic they were presenting about. In order to ensure the best learning experience for Cupertino FBLA members, all presenters held a workshop specifically targeted to the skill they use most in their career and life.

The first workshop focused on introducing Cupertino FBLA members to some scenarios about how to find a job, prepare a resume, and give an interview. This workshop was held by Mr. Darrell Dela Cruz, Education Coordinator at Communication Academy, in which he shared his years of experience with interviews, from the judging aspect as well as from the candidate's perspective. He talked about some very common questions that interviewers love to ask, as well as some curveballs they may throw at a candidate. At the end of the workshop, Mr. Cruz gave mock interviews (a one on one questioning time) to the members and helped them practice the newly gained skills in a real life application.

The second workshop went in depth into the realm of financial literacy. In today's world, being financially literate is of utmost importance, as one must manage their money every day. In order to introduce to the members to some financial essentials, Mr. Jon Monroe, a senior program manager at Adobe, gave an interactive marketing and sales workshop which taught students how to set up a business and made the members financially literate. After the workshop, a few games were conducted to test the freshly gained knowledge of the Cupertino FBLA members. Throughout this process, members learned why it is necessary to be financially literate, how to manage your money, the 4 P's of marketing, and much more.

Cupertino FBLA's Project SHINE has provided members with a unique learning opportunity through the use of these informative and interactive workshops. Through the Mock Interview Workshop, members learned how to apply for a job which every individual must do at one point in their lives, as well as through the Interactive Marketing and Sales Workshop, members learned how to manage their money and market more efficiently. Overall, it has had a monumental impact in setting the members up for future success.