CHICAGO – University of Nebraska at Kearney students won a school-record 14 awards at the Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) National Leadership Conference.
Hosted June 24-27 in Chicago, the annual conference gives FBLA and PBL members from colleges and universities across the country an opportunity to network, attend leadership workshops and compete in events testing their business knowledge and skills. The top 10 performers in each event were recognized June 27 during the Awards of Excellence Ceremony.
Nine UNK students attended the national conference, and seven placed inside the top 10 in at least one event. With 14 total awards, the UNK chapter earned more national placings than any other Nebraska school.
UNK also received a Gold Seal Award of Merit, which recognizes chapters that have actively participated in projects and programs identified with the goals of FBLA-PBL.
Students participating in the conference were Courtney Cox of Alliance, Olivia Lawless of Aurora, Sydney Atkinson of Butte, Maddie Getz of Kearney, Omar Sanchez of Lexington, Joseph Hiatt of Spencer, Cody Swinarski of St. Paul, Megan Wallman of Syracuse and Jackie Kalkwarf of Wilber.
FBLA-PBL is the largest business career and technical student organization in the world. The collegiate division is dedicated to inspiring and developing the next generation of leaders by preparing members for careers in business-related fields.
UNK Results
First place – Sydney Atkinson, future business educator; Maddie Getz, economic analysis and decision making
Second place – Sydney Atkinson, Joseph Hiatt and Megan Wallman, local chapter annual business report; Courtney Cox, financial services; Joseph Hiatt, small business management plan
Third place – Sydney Atkinson, business communication; Maddie Getz, forensic accounting
Sixth place – Megan Wallman, job interview
Seventh place – Courtney Cox, personal finance; Olivia Lawless, client service; Cody Swinarski, business presentation; Olivia Lawless and Megan Wallman, sales presentation
Eighth place – Courtney Cox, business communication
Ninth place – Sydney Atkinson and Joseph Hiatt, desktop publishing
