Carson student to participate in three national competitions

One Carson High student isn’t attending just one national competition this summer, she’s competing in three.

Carson junior Jiavonna Wong-Furtunato will be attending national competitions for Future Business Leaders of America, HOSA and SkillsUSA in June.

“I am excited to really focus on what I can learn and take to real life (from these competitions),” Wong-Furtunato said.

Wong-Furtunato will be attending the SkillsUSA competition in Louisville, Ky., June 20, 22, and 24; the HOSA competition in Nashville, Tenn., June 23; and the FBLA competition in Atlanta, Ga., June 27 to July 3.

“She is an amazing individual who has worked hard and it is nice to see that pay off and to have her reach the national level in all three Career and Technical Education career fields,” said Carson High FBLA advisor Angila Golik. “She’s quiet and sweet but one of the hardest workers I have ever come across at Carson High and being able to compete in all three is a true testament to who she is as a person and student.”

To get to the competitions, Wong-Furtunato placed second in Dental Science at the HOSA competition; second in FBLA for Public Speaking II, fifth place in Insurance and Risk Management Knowledge and fifth in the Job Interview; and won with her partners Brennan Peterman and Zach Simms in Chapter Display for SkillsUSA.

“(Competing) is a great opportunity and learning experience,” Wong-Furtunato said.

“And you get to meet a lot of new people and it gives you professional and overall skills for how to interact with people.”

Wong-Furtunato said she’s most excited to compete in the SkillsUSA because she’s proud of the work they created. For the Chapter Display competition, the team had to come up with a way to showcase what their chapter was all about, and the students chose to use a 3-D printer and engraver to create their display.

“We have a good product and a good chance for the competition (for SkillsUSA),” Wong-Furtunato said. “We have put in a lot of work, about 400 hours, into it, so I am excited to see the results of all that work.”

This is going to be the second time Wong-Furtunato has attended Nationals for SkillsUSA and HOSA, and the first year for the FBLA competition. Aside from these three clubs, she also is involved with Key Club, the Entrepreneur Networks club and enjoys running and hiking.

“It takes a lot of time management, but if you want to do it that badly and do it right, you find a way to fit everything into your schedule,” Wong-Furtunato said.

She said she’s excited to attend all the conferences this summer and be rewarded for all of her efforts.

“I just hope all the hard work will pay off and get some good results,” Wong-Furtunato said. “I am not nervous, as long as you know your material and are confident you should do great.”

To help donate to send the FBLA team to Atlanta, donations can be delivered to Angila Golik at Carson High School.