Excel-lent contestant: Alyssa Parsons

Throughout four years of high school, different people allot their time to different things. Some look forward to afternoon naps granted with senior release, others take up club involvements, or get a part time job. However, there are rarely students that reach and then surpass the expectations of their involvements. Senior Alyssa Parsons started competing in UIL her freshman year and has skyrocketed through competitions to come out as one of the rising stars of MacArthur’s Computer Application UIL team as well as one of FBLA’s most involved members.

FBLA, a MacArthur club hosted by technology teacher Mrs. Danya Martin, stands for Future Business Leaders of America and consists of young students who aspire to someday run their own businesses. Some of the club’s activities include strengthening skills in Microsoft applications, communication, and public speaking. Although Parsons joined FBLA only a year ago, she has already received numerous awards for her involvements. Within the past year, Parsons was awarded the FBLA Area 4 Scholarship, the FBLA Who’s Who Award, and recently on March 6 she placed second in Spreadsheet Applications at the FBLA State Conference.

In addition to her feats in FBLA, Parson’s technological prowess has brought her victories at UIL competitions as well. Parson’s joined Martin’s UIL team as a freshman and has been blazing the trail ever since. For the past four years she has competed in UIL Computer Applications through which last year she advanced to state, and last summer she competed and placed in Data Design & Applications at Nationals.

Now Parsons prepares for upcoming UIL competitions in March and April as well as the Nationals competition in Chicago that her successes have qualified her for. Parsons admits that she joined FBLA on a whim, but is now excited at where her involvements have taken her.

“I joined FBLA because at the time I was interested in owning my own business and that seemed like something I would want to start getting into,” Parsons said. “I just did it for fun, but then it actually became something I was really proud to be a part of. “