EMPORIA -- Abby Rowden is one of eight Emporia State University students in Phi Beta Lambda who qualified for national competition after earning awards at the 2020 Kansas State Leadership Conference, which was at Emporia State University in early March.
PBL is the collegiate level of Future Business Leaders of America. It builds on communication, leadership, networking, and business skills for the future and is open to all majors. ESU joined seven other schools with competitors at the conference.
Rowden of Canton, placed first, Computer Applications.
Emporia State students collectively placed 28 times at the competition and brought home 14 first-place finishes. All eight ESU students earned placements and are eligible to compete at the National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, in June. Because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the national organization has moved this conference to a virtual event.
"Our Phi Beta Lambda students continue to do exceptional at State," said Dr. Ed Bashaw, dean of the School of Business. "We have some very well-educated and well-rounded students participating at the national stage, and I am confident that this group of students will bring home some great finishes."
As members of Emporia State's PBL, students can compete in over 50 events at the state and national level, help in various community service events, gain leadership skills and experience, apply classroom learning to a real-world setting, promote business to high school students and to the community, and can be trained to be the next line of leaders in any profession.