Students Place in Top 10 at National Conference

July 14, 2017

Madison Orrange, left, and Carissa McAfee earned awards at the 2017 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference.

Two School of Business students placed in the top 10 in the nation recently at the 2017 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference held June 24 through 27 in Anaheim, California. Previously this year, nine students from ESU’s PBL competed at the 2017 Kansas State Leadership Conference, collectively placing 16 times and qualifying six students for the 2017 National Leadership Conference.

Madison Orrange from Drexel, Missouri, a sophomore accounting major and information systems minor, and Carissa McAfee from Valley Falls, a sophomore dual management/marketing major and theater minor, attended the national conference.

At the conference, Orrange placed fifth in Computer Applications, an online competitive event. Orrange said she enjoyed the leadership attributes of the conference.

“FBLA-PBL has shown me that anyone can be a leader if they put their mind to it,” she said. “Throughout the conference, I saw many different individuals using their own unique skills to leave their legacy of leadership.”

McAfee placed sixth in Client Services and fifth in Public Speaking, both live events. McAfee had a lot of fun at the conference but was also impressed with how professional it was.

“My favorite part of the conference was that they treated successful business men and women like rock stars,” said McAfee. “This conference was filled with the future faces of entrepreneurship, corporate America, and international business relations. It truly showed me how far I can go with my business degree from Emporia State.”

Dr. Ed Bashaw, dean of the School of Business, is very proud of both students.

“These students exemplify what our School of Business is all about. Madison and Carissa came to us in the fall of 2016 as freshmen. They learned about all of the high-impact opportunities they had for involving themselves in a professional business student organization, chose to get involved in PBL, and competed in student leadership competitions. Their talent, hard work, and poise led them to their successes at PBL’s national competition.”  

About PBL:

Phi Beta Lambda is the collegiate level of Future Business Leaders of America. FBLA-PBL is the oldest and largest student business organization in the world. It builds on communication, leadership, networking, and business skills for the future. You do not have to be a business major to join; all majors are welcome. For more information about PBL, go to https://www.emporia.edu/csi/rso/pbl/

About the National Leadership Conference (NLC):

FBLA-PBL members have the competitive edge, as the best and brightest of FBLA and PBL convene to compete in leadership events, share their successes, and learn new ideas about shaping their career future through workshops and exhibits. This four-day conference is considered the pinnacle of the FBLA-PBL experience. For more information about the NLC, go to http://www.kansasfbla.com/national-leadership-conference