As the MVHS FBLA chapter sat in the Homestead HS gym, waiting for the awards ceremony to begin, each competitor eagerly held on to a traditional MVFBLA item: an orange. Rubbing an orange prior to competition results has become a time-honored tradition for the chapter. It is said to give them good luck in their respective competitions.

On Feb. 4, FBLA chapters from all across the Bay Area convened at HHS for the yearly Bay Section conference. The competitors who place the highest at Bay Sections would find themselves en route to the States competition in Sacramento, Calif.

The Bay Section conference is a platform for local FBLA members to compete in their respective events, for the existing leadership to interact with their constituents and for the inauguration of new Bay Section leadership. The 2016-17 Bay Section team leads and organizes the conference while candidates for new positions campaign and earn votes to be a part of next year’s team.

As for the oranges, MVFBLA continues to uphold their age-old tradition. According to junior and Vice president of Projects Emily Su and senior, four-year member Hannah Phan, the orange tradition is something exclusive to MVHS’ chapter.

“Oranges are good luck, so when they call the competition, you’re supposed to rub the orange for good luck,” Su said. “No one knows how [the tradition] started.”

And so, as MVHS students eagerly waited, hoping to hear their names over the loudspeaker in the gym, they anxiously cradled their oranges. And, as they had hoped, MVHS was successful, placing in the top five 24 times, out of which they had nine first place awards.

MVHS hopes to translate their success at Bay Sections to greater success at States and eventually at Nationals. According to senior and Director of Team Impromptu Competitions Rohan Chitale, MVHS is primed and eager for a top three finish.

“At States and Nationals, hopefully we can be top two, top three, maybe even number one,” Chitale said. “Homestead, right now, is like the best chapter. But if we could beat them, that would be really cool.”

As MVFBLA looks forward to the State conference in Sacramento, Calif., they will continue to grind away at their preparations, and will be sure to cherish their oranges in the process.

Additional Reporting by Om Khandekar