Waukesha Times

Brookfield East junior Jake Zheng was named the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Champion in Public Speaking.

Zheng competed against nine other finalists in the ‘Introduction to Public Speaking’ event and emerged as the winner. Brookfield East freshman Parth Dharmadhikari also participated in the finalist round, finishing seventh in the ‘Introduction to Financial Math’ competition. The FBLA National Competition took place in Orlando, Florida, hosting 12,000 students from the United States, Canada, China, Germany, and Puerto Rico across 77 different competition events.

“I have to thank the Elmbrook community for this achievement; the skills I gained at East and throughout numerous opportunities across the district, such as serving as a representative to the School Board, have been instrumental in my success,” reflected Jake. “It was amazing to represent Brookfield East and I am grateful for the people that have supported me.”

During the 2023-24 school year, Zheng also served as a Student Representative for BEHS to the Board of Education and was elected Class President. He looks forward to growing the FBLA program at Brookfield East and across the District.