Top honors were awarded to 14 Loras College students at the Iowa chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference, held at Des Moines Area Community College. All 14 qualified for the FBLA National Leadership Conference in June in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The students competed in 28 events and placed in the top four in 23. In addition to competitions, they participated in educational sessions, networking opportunities and a community service project as part of the conference hosted by the Future Business Leaders of America. In addition to this achievement, the chapter received second place in Chapter of the Year, finishing behind Iowa State University.
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is the world’s largest business Career and Technical Student Organization, preparing the next generation of industry and community leaders. Through educational opportunities and competitive events, FBLA equips middle school, high school, and college students with essential leadership, entrepreneurial, and teamwork skills that extend beyond business and support success in any career path.
Dr. Angie Donovan, assistant professor of marketing, said she was proud of how the students represented the College.
“They were an amazing group of men and women, and I could not be more proud of how they behaved, what they learned and their great accomplishments,” Donovan said. “Placing in 23 of 28 events and having all 14 students qualify for nationals is an incredible achievement.”
Students earned the following honors:
Business Ethics
Second Place: Cana Duckworth (’28) | Sports Management and Spanish
Fourth Place: Brianna Baron (’26) | Marketing and Business Administration and Kristin Landerholm (’26) | Public Relations
Business Presentation
First Place: Connor Day (’26) | Marketing, Business Administration and Accounting, Rory Heer (’26) | Business Administration and Marketing and Griffin Dement-Graham (’29) | Business Administration and Sports Management
Emerging Business Issues
Second Place: Brendan Arnold (’27) | Analytics, Marketing and Business Administration and Anthony Edge (’27) | Finance
Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition
First Place: Cana Duckworth (’28) | Sports Management and Spanish and Emma Nelson (’27) | Chemistry
Third Place: Brendan Arnold (’27) | Analytics, Marketing and Business Administration and Anthony Edge (’27) | Finance
Foundations of Accounting
Third Place: Connor Day (’26) | Marketing, Business Administration and Accounting
Foundations of Computer Science
First Place: Prashant Bhattarai (’27) | Finance and Data Science
Foundations of Economics
First Place: Prashant Bhattarai (’27) | Finance and Data Science
Foundations of Entrepreneurship
First Place: Rory Heer (’26) | Business Administration and Marketing
Foundations of Finance
Fourth Place: Prashant Bhattarai (’27) | Finance and Data Science
Foundations of Hospitality Management
Second Place: Griffin Dement-Graham (’29) | Business Administration and Sports Management
Foundations of Management
First Place: Connor Day (’26) | Marketing, Business Administration and Accounting
Impromptu Speaking
Second Place: Thomas Sims (’27) | Marketing and Business Administration
Third Place: Emma Nelson (’27) | Chemistry
Job Interview
Second Place: Brianna Baron (’26) | Marketing and Business Administration
Third Place: Kristin Landerholm (’26) | Public Relations
Fourth Place: Griffin Dement-Graham (’29) | Business Administration and Sports Management
Management Case Competition
Second Place: Subani Dhungana (’27) | Criminal Justice and Iman Yousaf (’28) | Business Administration
Marketing and Sales Case Competition
Second Place: Rory Heer (’26) | Business Administration and Marketing and Brendan Arnold (’27) | Analytics, Marketing and Business Administration
Public Speaking
First Place: Emma Nelson (’27) | Chemistry
Sports Management and Marketing
First Place: Cana Duckworth (’28) | Sports Management and Spanish
Third Place: Lauren Boeckman (’26) | Marketing and Spanish
About Loras College
Established in 1839, Loras College draws on its historic legacy as Iowa’s first college, the second oldest Catholic college west of the Mississippi River, and one of the nation’s 10 diocesan colleges. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, Loras is a pioneer and leader in Catholic liberal arts education, shaping students to be active learners, reflective thinkers, ethical decision-makers, and responsible contributors. The College offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Media Contact
Alexis Daack
Media & Content Manager
alexis.daack@loras.edu
