Carson High School’s chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and marketing students launched the second edition of its student-produced business magazine, “Entrepreneurs in Action, 2026 Edition,” with a special event held last Wednesday at the Nashville Social Club in Carson City. The launch party marked the culmination of months of hard work, creativity and collaboration from FBLA and marketing students, who took the magazine from concept to publication.
For the second year in a row, FBLA and business and marketing students at Carson High School have gained hands-on experience in marketing, sales, interview techniques, journalism, graphic design and business management while producing another edition of the club’s business magazine highlighting the achievements, challenges and vision of local entrepreneurs.
The second-edition magazine was again a collaboration between the students; Mr. Cody Downing, Carson High business and marketing teacher and FBLA co-advisor; Ms. Areli Sanabria-Solis, Carson High EL teacher and FBLA co-advisor; Ms. Jenny Treece, media expert, and Mr. Jon Rogers, a retired entrepreneur. Tom DuBous and Robert Hodgson also served as sales mentors.
Through advertising sales and business features, the magazine turned a profit of $39,575. Following the check presentation, Mr. Don Kuhl, one of the entrepreneurs highlighted in last year’s magazine, felt impressed to donate an extra $10,000, bringing the total to $49,575. Additionally, $7,500 were awarded in scholarships to students involved.
Hard copies of the 64-page, professionally-designed business magazine will be available, free of cost, at various businesses and community organizations throughout Carson City.
To view the entire magazine digitally, please visit https://simplebooklet.com/entrepreneursinactionchscarsoncity2026#page=1.
In addition to the magazine launch, Carson High FBLA students delivered an outstanding performance at the Nevada State Business Leadership Conference earlier this month in Las Vegas, earning top placements across dozens of events and continuing their tradition of excellence in business education. Ten students were named State Champions and 21 others qualified for FBLA Nationals to be held in San Antonio, Texas June 29 to July 2.
State Champions by event include Chelsea Empeño and Kaden Sa in Digital Video Production, Julia Aquino and Elizabeth Dao in Hospitality and Event Management, Renan Melasaga in Job Interview, Ivan Romeo in Impromptu Speaking, Caroline Matley and Kyda Kreizenbeck in Visual Design and Jacab Alvarez and Lexi Ropp in Life Smarts.
In addition to these championship finishes, Carson High students earned multiple podium placements, including second and third-place finishes in events such as Computer Applications, Digital Animation, Parliamentary Procedure, International Business, Public Speaking and Visual Design.
The chapter also showed strong depth, with 35 top-10 finishes in competitive areas including Business Law, Event Planning, Healthcare Administration, Social Media Strategy, Website Design, Organizational Leadership and more.
Any student placing in any of the top four spots qualified them for the National Business Leadership Conference. Students qualifying for the FBLA National Leadership Conference include Jacob Alvarez, Julia Aquino, Melissa Bonilla, Lana Chettra, Elizabeth Dao, Chelsea Empeño, Derick Hensley, David Hurst, Hannah Ingram, Kyda Kreizenbeck, Thomas Lance, Renan Malasaga, Caroline Matley, Nasia Perkins, Charlie Richetta, Ellee Richetta, Ivan Romeo, Lexi Ropp, Kaden Sa, Juan Saldana Alvarado and Ashton Wilkin.
“This level of success reflects the dedication and hard work our students have put in all year,” said Areli Sanabria, Carson High School FBLA advisor. “We are incredibly proud of how they represented Carson High and Nevada on the state stage.”
Another highlight of the conference was Claire Dillon being elected as Northern Region Vice President, securing a state officer role and further elevating Carson High’s leadership presence within Nevada FBLA.
“With strong momentum, multiple state titles and a large group advancing to nationals, the Carson High FBLA chapter continues to set a high standard for student achievement and leadership,” said Cody Downing, Carson High School FBLA advisor. “These students demonstrated exceptional preparation, professionalism and competitive success.”
Carson High students were just a small fraction of the more than 700 FBLA students in attendance from across Nevada. A total of 37 CHS students competed among some of the 85 competitive business-industry events, including performance events, speaking events, case study events and projects like Business Financial Plan, as well as knowledge tests.
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc. (FBLA-PBL) is the largest career student business organization in the world. Each year, FBLA-PBL helps more than 230,000 members prepare for careers in business. FBLA-PBL inspires and prepares students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences. FBLA’s programs focus on:
- Leadership Development — members develop essential soft skills by holding chapter officer positions at the local, state and national levels; by networking with accomplished business professionals and by participating in business-focused workshops, seminars and academic competitions.
- Academic Competitions — members demonstrate their business expertise at high-profile regional, state, and national competitive events. The top students are recognized with trophies and cash awards.
- Educational Programs — members create career portfolios, enhance their knowledge with world-recognized skills certifications and have access to select college scholarships.
