OPSU Students Place in Top 10 at FBLA National Leadership Conference

Oklahoma Panhandle State University students won top recognition at the 2023 Collegiate National Leadership Conference of Future Business Leaders of America, Inc. FBLA, the nation’s largest Career and Technical Student Organization, focused solely on business. The event, held in Atlanta, Georgia, June 22-25, attracted more than 800 college students and educators from across the country.

Tracy Curtis, OPSU PBL Advisor, commented, “I was blessed to spend time in Atlanta at the FBLA National Leadership Conference with some of our PBL students from OPSU. The hard work they put in paid off as they secured 7 top national awards. This was truly exciting to see and be a part of.”

The OPSU students who earned national placement were:
Alan Anchondo – 3rd Sports Management & Marketing Objective Test
Jessica Forbes & Jayden Valdez – 4th Business Ethics Presentation
Jessica Forbes – 5th Job Interview Presentation
Hunter Harris – 5th Networking Concepts Objective Test
Julie Johnson – 6th Cyber Security Objective Test
Jayden Valdez – 8th Programming Concepts Objective Test
Ryan Sinclair – 10th Help Desk Case Study

Alan Anchondo stated, “National Leadership Conference was a great opportunity to meet new people and compete for our school’s honor, and I think our PBL club at OPSU did a magnificent job of that . I don’t think there’s an organization I could be prouder to be a part of.”

“The most priceless and valuable experiences and opportunities in college have come from being involved in PBL and other extracurricular activities. It was a tremendous honor to represent OPSU PBL on the national stage,” stated Jayden Valdez. “If I had one piece of advice to newer students, it would be to get involved on campus in any capacity. Now I thank each and every professor in Carter Hall that has encouraged me to be active on campus.”
Jessica Forbes commented on how this competition gave her the opportunity to be pushed outside of her comfort zone. “NLC was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. It gave me the opportunity to push myself outside my comfort zone and improve my skills to achieve greater goals. I know that several others and I grew individually and as a team.”
“We are so proud of our student members, who have been working diligently for months to prepare for the National Leadership Conference,” FBLA President & CEO Alexander T. Graham said. “They impressed the judges with their mastery of competitive event subjects, made powerful new connections with employers and alumni, and demonstrated their readiness to enter the workforce.”