Fourteen business students represented Southern Arkansas University at the FBLA-Collegiate National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, from June 23-28, and won big.
Students competed in various presentation, interview, speech, and test competitions, and won the following national awards:
First Place
| Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition | Kenley Spruill & Brenna Warrick |
| Foundations of Economics | Laura Elnaggar |
| Job Interview | Trinity Foster |
Third Place
| Public Speaking | Trinity Foster |
Fourth Place
| Job Interview | Brenna Warrick |
| Retail Management | Logan Owens |
Sixth Place
| Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition | Hunter Abbott |
Seventh Place
| Accounting Case Competition | Laura Elnaggar, Annabel Minor, & Kenley Spruill |
Ninth Place
| Hospitality Management Case Competition | Samantha Gladys & Samantha Still |
“Our students always perform well on the national stage, but I’m especially proud of this group,” said Dr. Lindsay Givens, Assistant Professor of Management. “Winning three first-place awards is a phenomenal achievement for our chapter and showcases that our students can compete with the best of the best anywhere in the country.”
To qualify to attend and compete at the national conference, students must have placed in the top three in their individual and/or team competitions at the state conference that was held at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville in March. The Muleriders’ performance at the 2024 National Leadership Conference is the most awards the SAU FBLA-Collegiate chapter has won at a national conference since 2002.
In the job interview competition, Trinity Foster and Brenna Warrick placed first and fourth, respectively, in a field of 53 competitors. In a field of 39 competitors in the Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition, Kenley Spruill and Brenna Warrick placed first, Hunter Abbott placed sixth, and Hannah Henderson and Jake Nielsen were also in the top 15.
In addition to competing and attending career-readiness workshops and various presentations, the students also enjoyed Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. They were accompanied by advisers Dr. Lindsay Givens and Ms. Miranda Bryan.
