Redwood FBLA Celebrates Section Championship and Student Success

On Saturday, January 31st, 2026, the Redwoods FBLA team participated in and won some events at the FBLA Central Section Leadership Conference Sweepstakes Title.

By Chloe Falcon-Barros, Ariana Lopez Salguero, Isabel Barycki, Beth Musto, and Sophia Rodriguez

Redwood High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter is celebrating a major accomplishment after winning the 2026 FBLA Central Section Leadership Conference Sweepstakes Title, continuing a decades-long tradition of success while preparing students for the upcoming state competition.

The conference brought together 26 schools and 775 students and advisors from across the Central Valley. Among them, 119 Redwood students competed in objective tests, performance events, and interviews, helping the chapter earn the Doris Lowe Sweepstakes Title for the 41st time in school history and 13th consecutive year.

FBLA adviser Jacob Avila credits the chapter’s success to new preparation strategies that helped students study more effectively.

He says, “I would say that the best strategy we had this year was utilizing our chapter-specific website we created for resources,” Avila said. “So we compiled all of our resources onto one page… So they had practice tests, study guides we recreated, references to textbooks, things like that.”

The strong performance resulted in 12 Valley Champions, 95 top-10 finishes, and 20 students placing in the top 10 twice. More than 80 Redwood students have now qualified for the State Leadership Conference in Anaheim this April.

Students say the competition required strong commitment and discipline. Paisley Pacheco ‘29, who placed fifth in the Intro to FBLA event, emphasized the importance of preparation. 

She said she studied every day and attended study sessions, explaining that the competition showed her that success “takes a lot of work, skill, time, and dedication to place.” 

Pacheco plans to continue working toward state competition by “using that information that I already know to hopefully place at state.”

Janna Asunto ‘27 earned first place in both Public Speaking and Impromptu Speaking. She said her preparation involved consistent practice and organization. 

She says, “For public speaking, I wrote my speech, outlined those points, and made sure that I rehearsed my speech anytime that I could and had free time.” 

Asunto adds, “And for impromptu speaking, I just practiced different prompts that I found online and practiced the format.”

Asunto believes confidence helped set her apart from other competitors. 

She says, “I feel like the way that I present myself with confidence is what really separates me from different competitors, and the way that I’m able to speak without hesitation is really what I feel like is my strongest point.” 

Looking ahead, she plans to use judges’ feedback to improve her performance at the state level.

For other students, the event offered both challenges and rewarding experiences. Wyatt Chambin ‘27  described the competition as more intense than expected but valuable. 

He says, “I think it was more competitive than I thought it would be. But it was also a fun day. It showed me that studying a lot and putting time into things can really help me succeed.”

Avila says the chapter is excited but focused as it prepares for the next level of competition. 

“State is always tough, but we’re really excited for all the kids that have qualified,” Avila said, noting that project-based events like videos, websites, and coding projects will play a major role. 

He added that new textbooks and continued resource use will help students stay competitive.

With a strong history of achievement and a large group advancing to state, Redwood FBLA members are continuing to build leadership, communication, and business skills while representing their school on a larger stage.

Mr. Henshaw adds, “I think Mr. Avila has carried on the tradition, as Doris Lowe was kind of the godmother of Redwood FBLA. In fact, the business building is named after her. 
And so Mr. Avila’s done a great job in keeping their traditions of excellence, passed on from her. I think this year is another banner year for Redwood.”

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