Emporia State students brought home top 10 finishes from competitions at the national Phi Beta Lambda virtual leadership event held in late June. Originally set for June 24 through 27 in Salt Lake City, the COVID-19 pandemic moved the event to a one-day virtual experience.
Eight ESU students competed in events with six earning finishes in the Top 10, including a first-place win in Administrative Technology for Michaela Forkenbrock.
PBL Advisor Leticia Rust also was recognized as one of 14 Outstanding Local Chapter Advisors for Kansas.
“I am so proud of this group of students, they have endured so much in the last few months,” Rust said. “This hurdle was no match for them. It just shows that our ESU students are well prepared to take on any new environment and thrive.”
Phi Beta Lambda members can be from any concentration to participate, not just in business. It is the collegiate level of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), where presentation, leadership, and academic learning are all a part of PBL.
During the virtual event, participants could interact with workshops, listen to keynote speakers, watch presentations by corporations, and witness recognition of outstanding individuals and chapters.
Each event that the students participate in must be new and cannot have previously placed at Nationals, so every year a new competition must be selected. There were an estimated 1,239 attendees and 952 competitors who attended virtually.
The National Phi Beta Lambda placings include:
- Jan Bard: 9th in Information Management
- Michaela Forkenbrock: 1st in Administrative Technology
- Lindsey Newman: 10th in Justice Administration, 10th in Organizational Behavior and Leadership
- Ashley Rietcheck: 5th in Project Management, 3rd in Financial Analysis and Decision Making
- Abby Rowden: 3rd in Computer Applications
- Carolina Taylor: 7th in Retail Management