Students score high in national contest

Photo contributed A group from Crowder College's Phi Beta Lambda attended the National Conference in Nashville, Tenn. from June 24-28.

Photo contributed
A group from Crowder College’s Phi Beta Lambda attended the National Conference in Nashville, Tenn. from June 24-28.

By James Walls
Campus News Editor

Students from Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) scored high at the national conference in Nashville, Tenn. on June 24-28. Madison McDonell, Steven Babcock and Katelyn Hutchison each ranked in the top 10 for their chosen categories during the conference, competing against colleges and universities from across the United States.

“Colleges from around the country attended in a variety of different events,” said Chris Fenske, business instructor and one of the sponsors for PBL. “Some of the events, like Hospitality Management and Business Presentation, had a preliminary contest and then you competed to make finals, which then would be the top 10.”

At the conference, McDonnel got 8th place in Word Processing, while Babcock and Hutchison teamed up to get 6th place in Hospitality Management. Some of the events, such as Word Processing, brought in around 50 students from across the nation competing for first place, said Fenske.

“The main purpose is that you get to compete against the best college students from around the country in business competitions, so you get to see where you stack up,” said Fenske, stating the main benefit of the conference. “Along with that students gain that confidence in themselves that they can compete against anybody from across the U.S., but also just that experience of travel and getting to meet new people from all the different colleges from around the country.”

Aside from the competitions, the conferences give students the opportunity to listen to keynote speakers, attend leadership workshops and meet different businesses. However, to attend such events, students must be a member of PBL and enrolled in the Leadership Development class, BSAD 110. Enrollment for this class will start again in the spring.