Penn State York students in the campus chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Collegiate practice for the national competition in Atlanta, Georgia, June 22-25. Rebecca Mauck, left, and Lawrence William, right, presented their topic, "Small Business Management Plan," to a volunteer group of judges to get feedback on how they can improve their presentation for nationals. Students had to win at the state level in order to advance to the national competition. The campus held a send-off for the group on June 15 sponsored by the Graham Fellows Program for Entrepreneurial Leadership.
YORK, Pa. — For the fifth consecutive year, students from the Penn State York Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Collegiate group, formerly known as Phi Beta Lambda (PBL), and their adviser, Megan Lorenz, are headed to the FBLA National Leadership Conference to compete. The group will travel to Atlanta, Georgia, thanks to their performance at the state competition, where they brought home 18 awards.
The York group earned eight first-place awards, four second-place awards and six third-place awards. To date, York students have brought home 70 state awards and 32 national awards and hope to add to that national count at the conference on June 22-25. The group heads to Atlanta on June 21 and returns June 26.
“Our first-place wins at states this year were in difficult categories that required much mentoring work on behalf of the students,” said Lorenz, FBLA adviser and lecturer in business administration at Penn State York. “We also won a State Gold Seal Award for our accomplishments as a chapter." Lorenz also noted that there were 20 colleges and universities at the state conference, and it was extremely competitive.
To compete at nationals, students had to place first or second in a presentation event, or first through third in an exam at the state competition.
State competition winners:
1st Place – Business Law
Nhi Nguyen
1st Place – Business Presentation
Caitlan Hevener and Nakhaiya Jacobs
1st Place – Future Business Executive
Ryan Dellinger
1st Place – Marketing Concepts
James Ye
1st Place – Public Speaking
Polina Bolotnikovo
1st Place – Sales Presentation
Ryan Dellinger
1st Place – Small Business Management Plan
Rebecca Mauck and Lawrence Williams
1st Place – Social Media Marketing
Omar Elhasany
2nd Place – Business Law
Caitlan Hevener
2nd Place – Foundations of Finance
Nakhaiya Jacobs
2nd Place – Impromptu Speaking
Isaiah Morales
2nd Place – Project Management
Pradynesh Bhoir
3rd Place – Computer Concepts
Cole Luckenbaugh
3rd Place – Foundations of Accounting
Neerja Patil
3rd Place – Impromptu Speaking
Mary Dizor
3rd Place – Job Interview
Isaiah Morales
3rd Place – Sales Presentation
Neeraj Patil and David Lin
3rd Place – Social Media Marketing
Nhi Nguyen
Impromptu Speaking is Isaiah Morales' topic when he competes at the nationals of the FBLA Collegiate National Conference. Morales will have a short period of time to prepare to talk about the specific topic given to him at the competition. His practice topic was whether or not a grade-point average (GPA) is important when applying for a job or other organizations.
Eleven of the 14 winners at states were part of the Graham Fellows Program for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Penn State York.
Students going to the FBLA National Leadership Conference to compete are Pradynesh Bhoir, Polina Bolotnikovo, Ryan Dellinger, Omar Elhasany, Caitlan Hevener, Nakaiya Jacobs, David Lin, Cole Lukenbaugh, Rebecca Mauck, Isaiah Morales, Nhi Nguyen, Neeraj Patil, Lawrence Williams and James Ye.
Funds to send the group to state and national FBLA events came from the Women’s Philanthropic Network, the Graham Fellows Program for Entrepreneurial Leadership, the campus Student Activity Fee, and the Penn State York Academic Affairs office.
“We have a talented group of Penn State York students attending the FBLA Collegiate national leadership conference who truly embody the phrase, future business leaders," said Lorenz. "I am looking forward to witnessing how this national experience changes each of them from their leadership development, increased confidence, and gained networking with industry leaders."
Pennsylvania FBLA state officer
In addition to the awards the group brought home from states, Rebecca Mauck, a Penn State York student, has been named to the FBLA Executive Board for 2023-24 as the Pennsylvania FBLA Collegiate state reporter. This board runs FBLA Collegiate for the state, and this is the first time a student from the York Chapter has received this honor.
