All competing L&C FBLA Collegiate students place in top ten at nationals
Shown from left are L&C FBLA Collegiate Advisor & Associate Professor Christina Wickenhauser with national award-winning students Eva Voumard, Darran Mason Ferrell, Nicc Edwards, Vondasia Pittman and Bre Welsh. (Submitted photo)
By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE
[email protected]
As the Illinois Business Journal previously reported, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Collegiate chapter at Lewis and Clark Community College left quite an impression on judges at their State Leadership Conference held in Effingham mid-April. Recently, the students traveled on to Orlando, Fla. for national competitions and did it again.
Every L&C FBLA student competing placed in the top ten across the nation in at least one competitive event area. Students bringing national awards back home to Illinois include:
- Nicc Edwards, 5th place, Job Interview
- Darran Mason Ferrell, 9th place, Sports Management & Marketing
- Darran Mason Ferrell, 9th place, Future Business Executive
- Eva Voumard, 10th place, Foundations of Communications
- Nicc Edwards, Vondasia Pittman and Bre Welch (team), 7th place, Marketing, Sales and Communication Case Competition
The awards ceremony is available for viewing online at https://vimeo.com/event/4288550. Viewers can skip to the specific minute mark noted as follows to see each L&C student receive their award in their respective category:
- Sports Management and Marketing (Darran Mason Ferrell) – 01:03:01
- Marketing, Sales and Communications Case Competition (Nicc Edwards, Vondasia Pittman and Bre Welch) – 01:18:23
- Foundations of Communications (Eva Voumard) – 01:38:17
- Job Interview (Nicc Edwards) – 01:40:01
- Future Business Executive (Darran Mason Ferrell) – 01:48:58
L&C Associate Professor and FBLA Advisor Christina Wickenhauser noted, “This was such an amazing event and I’m so proud of our mighty team. Hundreds of students attended this conference, with many attending in previous years knowing what to expect. For the students who were new at the conference, many of those students had advisors and fellow club members who could give them additional insight of what to expect and how to prepare. Our team had none of that and still managed to place in the top ten, walk across the stage and receive a trophy!!! Like the true leaders they are, they walked away from the event inspired that they can do better next year.
“As we traveled home, their conversations went to their notes and what they needed to work on. These young business professionals are so very inspiring, and it is a privilege to be able to watch each of them grow and develop. Many of them are on fire to reach more students this coming year as they understand the impact this club and these events have had in their lives. To those that financially supported us this year…thank you from the bottom of our hearts!! You’ve impacted these students’ futures in so many ways,” Wickenhauser further noted.
FBLA Collegiate, or Future Business Leaders of America Collegiate, is a non-profit organization that helps students develop their leadership skills. Formerly known as Phi Beta Lambda, it is the college student division of the national Future Business Leaders of America Inc. (FBLA), which also includes high school and middle school divisions.
(Editor’s note: This story also appears in the August 2024 print edition of the Illinois Business Journal.)
