North Marion senior excels at national conference

This fourth-of-July week will be one that recent North Marion High School graduate Alejandra Zamora is not likely to soon forget.

And her memory will not have anything to do with fireworks.

Zamora placed 10th in the national “Help Desk” event at the National Leadership Conference for the Future Business Leaders of America held earlier in the week at Orlando, Fla. NM FBLA advisor Kelly Ioane described Help Desk as a knowledge test and performance event. As the name suggests, the event requires participants to provide service and support to customers.

“She was the only Oregon student to make it on stage,” Ioane enthused. “There are 16,000 students who compete at Nationals from chapters across the US, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, and even China.”

Zamora was among six North Marion FBLA students, all graduating seniors, to make the Florida trip, joining Anna Guzman, Mattia Kimber, Monica Gonzalez, Ian McIlvain and Leo Medina. The students participated in the conference, held June 29 through July 2, then headed home in advance of Independence Day.

Zamora graduated this past spring as a valedictorian, earned a Ford Family Scholarship and will attend University of Portland to pursue nursing studies.

Ioane further noted that seniors Guzman and Kimber are co-presidents of NM FBLA, and their efforts this past year earned the chapter Gold Champion Chapter recognition and 2nd in the state in membership growth!

“Anna participated in Healthcare Administration,” Ioane noted. “She is still undecided about her college plans for the fall but will study nursing.

“Mattia is participated in Visual Design, where she (presented) ideas for the media of a local business. She will be attending the University of Arizona in the fall.”

Gonzalez participated in Networking Infrastructures. She will be attending the University of Oregon.

McIlvain, the NM FBLA officer in charge of fundraising, and Medina both qualified for the national conference in Database Design & Applications, which requires a production and online test.

“Ian plans to attend Chemeketa Community College for two years then transfer to U of O. Leo is still undecided on his post-graduation plans,” Ioane said, adding that all six students gained a truly unique experience and represented the community well at the NLC.