Five Loras College students topped the competition in seven categories at the Future Business Leaders of America – Phi Beta Lambda state competition and eight students will move on to compete at the national conference in June.
Cori Welch (’21) – marketing concepts; Nick Reiter (’22) – financial concepts; Darby Callahan (’20) – information management retail management; Paige Diebold (’23) – microeconomics; and Jamie Engelke (’20) – personal finance, organizational behavior and leadership, each claimed top honors in their categories against students from across the state, including Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa.
“Loras students have acquitted themselves well the last two years in representing Loras College and the Noonan School of Business,” Doug Gambrall, Ed.D., associate professor of business administration, said. “This year was no exception, with seven first place finishes at the Iowa PBL Leadership Conference.”
The top two finishers in each category qualify for competition at the FBLA-PBL National Leadership Conference. Callahan, Diebold, Engelke and Welch will all move on to compete in June. They will be joined by fellow qualifiers Juan Jose Arias-Mondragon (’21), Brett Batkoff (’22), Leonardo Bellingeri (’21) and Claire Siegert (’22).
“One of the primary benefits of PBL membership is the opportunity for students to compete at state and national level,” Gambrall said. “These occasions where students can stretch their capabilities beyond the classroom can be quite rewarding,”
PBL is the collegiate division of FBLA. Its mission is to prepare students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences. The National Leadership Conference hosts students from across the country and is the organization’s signature event.
