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Business, IT students earn national honors at PBL conference

Business, IT students earn national honors at PBL conference

SAN ANTONIO, TX - Nine business and information technology students from the Northeast Community College Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) Club earned honors at the organization’s National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, TX, recently.

They were among more than 1,300 America’s best and brightest two-year and four-year college and university students from 35 states who traveled to Texas enhance their business skills, expand their networks and participate in 60 business and business-related competitive events with the opportunity to win more than $110,000 in cash awards.

Angela Shaffer, business instructor and Northeast PBL Club advisor, said Phi Beta Lambda focuses on developing leadership, communication and team skills in its members as well as giving them an opportunity to meet and network with other PBL members at the local, state and national levels.

PBL places an emphasis on helping students transition to the business world,” she said. “There are approximately 11,000 PBL members on college campuses across the country.

The nine Northeast students qualified for the national PBL competition after claiming first place honors at the Nebraska PBL Conference earlier this year.

For Northeast at the Texas competition, Kody Salak, Columbus, placed second nationally in two events – Computer Concepts and Networking Concepts.

The team of Hunter Bergman, Neligh, Zaine Gallagher, Norfolk, and Santiago Perez, West Point, placed second in Social Media Challenge, while Trent Jorgensen, Norfolk, and Joshua Santiago, Norfolk, claimed third place honors in Accounting Analysis and Decision Making.

Bergman had a fourth place finish in Client Services, Kyle Lentz, Hartington, took fourth in Networking Concepts and Natasha Sund, Primrose, also finished fourth Cyber Security. In addition, Lentz finished ninth in Computer Concepts.

Benie Buzi Mbo Nta, Lincoln, was seventh in Small Business Management Plan.

Anthony Cayax, Grand Island, Gallagher and Perez were finalists in Community Service Project while Santiago was a finalist in Impromptu Speaking.   

The awards were part of a comprehensive national competitive events program sponsored by PBL that recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. For many students, the competitive events are the capstone activity of their academic careers. In addition to competitions, students immersed themselves in interactive workshops, visited an information-packed exhibit hall, and heard from motivational keynotes on a broad range of business topics.          

The Northeast students were accompanied to the national conference by Shaffer and Cara Hoehne, business instructor.

 

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