The Future Business Leaders of America recently invited guest speaker Brett Lindstrom to Wayne State College for a Q&A session regarding financial and business advice. 

The Q&A event was held Oct. 3 in Gardner Hall at WSC.  

Griffin Ryan, president of Wayne’s FBLA chapter, said “We went into the current landscape of financial management,” Griffin Ryan, president of Wayne’s FBLA chapter, said. 

Ryan said that cryptocurrencies and the rise in popularity of stock-trading sites such as Robinhood and Webull have added a new layer to the financial landscape for financial advisors like Lindstrom. Ryan said he worked on Lindstrom’s governor campaign last year and used that connection to set up the Q&A. 

Laura Dendinger, one of the faculty advisors for FBLA, said Lindstrom stressed the importance of working at a job that allows giving back to the community.  

“As a financial advisor, he advises his clients on how to build a legacy for their families and for the charities that mean something to them,” Dendinger said. “Lindstrom said that continuing to work to get a certification in one’s field is a good thing to pursue right after graduation from college.”  

She said that getting the certification can assist in getting a job and exceling at that job. 

FBLA is a national organization that encompasses junior high, high school and college. As president of FBLA’s Wayne chapter, Ryan said he works closely with executive boards at other Nebraska collegiate chapters.  

“It serves to build connections with people from a young age, of people in the business world to prepare you for that world, to give you the skills to be a part of the business world like small talk, conversing,” Ryan said. 

FBLA also hosts different conferences and competitions that test students in a variety of business-related activities such as job interviewing and accounting, according to Ryan. 

Ryan is a political science and economics double major with the goal of getting into politics. Apart from Lindstrom’s campaign for Nebraska governor, Ryan said he interned for the Senate over the summer as well. Ryan said an interest in politics from a young age inspired him to pursue this career field alongside business.  

Future FBLA events include a coat drive at an upcoming volleyball game and the Career Connections Conference in Omaha. The Career Connections Conference will be held Nov. 3-5 and those in attendance can chat with leaders in the business world and create network connections. Ryan said another goal of FBLA is to become more involved with Wayne High’s FBLA chapter in order to retain more people in the area.