Tahoma High senior Anthony Yun took first place at the Future Business Leader of America State Conference.

It’s a far cry for the 18-year-old Washington state FBLA officer, who admitted that he used to be extremely shy.

That changed after he attended the Washington Business Week program at Pacific Lutheran University his freshman year. There, he was given a mentor and a team to work with. When it came time to select a “CEO” for the team, they decided to select Yun, which he found ironic.

“They picked the shyest kid, me,” he said. “Since then I have become completely enamored with the concept of business.”

Before he attended the week-long program, Yun met student officers from DECA, a not-for-profit student organization that helps emerging leaders and entrepreneurs prepare for their careers, when they gave a presentation at the Greater Maple Valley Community Center.

Yun couldn’t help but be impressed by the nice clothes a female student officer wore, as well as her professional demeanor.

“Seeing high school students in suits really intrigued me,” he said. “I had never seen someone speak so articulately. She was my role model. I wanted to be just like her.”

As Yun involved himself more and more, he said he slowly began to develop confidence speaking and addressing people publicly.

“When you’re excited about something and you’re passionate about it you make long-lasting friendships. I broke out of my comfort zone.

In addition to the FBLA, Yun also is involved with the Math Team, the Associated Student Body, the National Honor Society and the Maple Valley Youth Council.

In February of last year, Yun participated in a Young Entrepreneurs event, in which he worked with a team of high school students to write a business plan for a wristwatch alarm that wakes up the user based on their sleeping patterns, an idea Yun was inspired by from his AP Psychology class. Yun later held a mock presentation of the plan for investors.

“It solidified my desire to pursue business,” he said.

As part of the FBLA state conference, Yun had to undergo a 100 question exam, as well as an interview, the hardest of which he said were the accounting questions. Then, finally, the awards were announced on the stage, until there was only himself and the state FBLA president on the stage.

“I thought he was going to win,” Yun said. “But they called his name for second. I had the biggest smile on my face when they called my name for first.”

Much of the preparation for the conference Yun credited to his teachers at Tahoma, including Miss Woods.

“She had to look at my resume a dozen times before I submitted it to state,” he said.

As part of winning first place, Yun has also been accepted into the Foster Business School at the University of Washington, as well as a position of student leader for Bank of America.

Yun said he intends to use his skills to start a nonprofit organization, which he feels uses many of the education tools designed for business.

“A business doesn’t have to just be a business,” he said. “It can be a nonprofit, too. You can use the skills you acquire to help others.”

Yun said if he started a nonprofit it would be youth-directed, as a way of helping other students like himself.

“I think my time in ASB showed me high school students can make a difference and they should be supported,” he said.

His student leader position at BOA, he said, will involve an eight-week internship with a nonprofit.

“I will see what it’s like and if it’s something I’d like to pursue,” he said.

Reach TJ Martinell at 425-432-1209 ext. 5052.

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