As FBLA alumni like Apple's Steve Jobs can testify, the experience is mutually beneficial to all involved.

The Monta Vista chapter will host the FBLA Section Leadership Conference on March 6, which it hopes will attract the attention of an untapped resource—Cupertino-area businesses.

This day of competitions, debates and networking will bring students from all over the Bay Area to the Monta Vista campus. That same week, the Monta Vista chapter will celebrate its 30th anniversary and its membership of 221, which comprises 10 percent of the student body and makes it the largest chapter in the state.

"Monta Vista is one of those chapters that tries to do something more," says senior Keshav Srinivasan, the chapter president. As an offshoot of the national organization, the Monta Vista chapter promotes. "We promote a strong image of the American businessperson," Srinivasan says, "but we also want our members to know how to have fun."

To that end, the group regularly holds events like barbecues so everyone gets to know each other. Its members also attend conferences all over the country, such as last year's national event in Anaheim in November, to which Monta Vista sent 50 delegates. "Before the conferences, I'd never even met anyone from the East Coast," says junior Anthea Liu.

In addition to making friends across the country, other enticements to joining the group are events like the recent tour through Lou's Living Donut Museum in San Jose. The visitors got to taste the shop's confections in addition to meeting with the owner. "A lot of us have an interest in entrepreneurship," says Srinivasan. "We're not just promoting big business or corporations."

Conferences, like the one Monta Vista is hosting in March, give students similar opportunities to learn from featured speakers and seminars given by business owners from the local area. Srinivasan has secured Cupertino Mayor Sandy James as the keynote speaker. The group is also working to find a place for the 450 students who will come ready to compete against their peers in debates and proficiency tests for programs like Microsoft Excel.

The club's adviser has no doubt the club can complete the task. "We're able to innovate and envision the future. That's what these kids do," says Monta Vista teacher Carl Schmidt. "It's a safe feeling to know that these kids will lead the next wave in the Valley."

The group hopes to continue wooing area businesses to help educate FBLA members—and possibly gain new customers in the process. Its first step in that plan was to recently join the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce.

But not all of Monta Vista's FBLA members aspire to the goal of starting their own business—some want to be doctors or engineers, and think the business background will help them in those endeavors. Stephanie Snipes, a sophomore, already has her own web design business and says she's learned how to present herself and how to negotiate with clients through her involvement.

That confidence is something that will power these students into college and beyond. "When you're walking around school with your suit on, they look at you differently," Snipes says. "It's like they have more respect for you."