Nash Kersting aspires to enter the business finance world one day and that dream was verified after the Ponte Vedra High senior finished 7th at the Future Business Leaders of America National Conference in mid-July.
His top-10 finish came in the human resource management competition, where he went head-to-head against hundreds of students from across the United States.
What makes the accomplishment even more astounding is that it was also the first time he had attended the event after not advancing past districts one year ago.
“States was nerve-racking because I just hadn’t done it before, while nationals was something all of its own,” Kersting said.
This year, nationals were held in Orlando, which made it not only convenient for him to make the trip, but it was also where the state competition was held.
However, despite the familiarity of the site, there were differences between the state and national events due to the number of his fellow classmates at PVHS that were represented.
“At states I got to hang out with a lot of people I know from school, and it’s always fun anytime you get to hang out with like-minded people who love business as much as I do,” Kersting said.
Kersting was one of only two from PVHS to qualify for nationals compared to 31 students from the school who made the trip to states.
One of the unique things about the national conference is that the competition is only a small part of it.
“There were hundreds of workshops going on about and hour each throughout the days, from topics like ‘how to bolster your resume’ to ‘insights about the stock market,’” Kersting said. “There were a lot of people there to really share their knowledge, and I got to learn by going.”
His portion of the competition involved taking a 100 multiple-choice question test in 50 minutes in one of the convention center’s large rooms along with roughly 200 others.
“I thought I did great, but I honestly didn’t know if great was good enough to place in the top-10,” Kersting said.
Since finding out the news of his placement came through and he knew where how he did the support from family and friends has been plentiful.
“I got a lot of Facebook comments following it, and it’s a nice feeling when you’re reminded of all the support you have behind you,” Kersting said.
Kersting enjoys the stock market the most and wants to be a financial analyst after college.
“I just feel like helping people save for retirement is a really cool job and it’s something that would have a very meaningful purpose as well,” Kersting said.
He has been a member of the international business academy at Ponte Vedra High since his sophomore year and thanked some of the teachers he has had over the years that have helped keep his passion for business strong.
“The experience is something that might be a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Kersting said. “I’m thankful to have gotten the chance to go and learn from CEOs from across the country.”
