Chipola FBLA Collegiate Wins Awards at 2024 FBLA Collegiate State Leadership Conference

Chipola’s FBLA Collegiate (formerly Phi Beta Lambda) had a successful State Leadership Conference in Orlando during Spring Break. Chipola College students competed in several events, brought home 1 Top-4 award, and attended business panels and business tours.  

The following students competed this year: 

Christopher Brockington of Malone, a senior BSBA-Management major, participated in Foundations of Computer Science (4th Place), Foundations of Economics, and Organizational Behavior and Leadership.

Emmaleigh Presley of Sneads, a sophomore AA-Psychology major, participated in Foundations of Hospitality Management, Organizational Behavior and Leadership and Retail Management

Collegiate President, Chad Mayo, was unable to attend due to illness, but he was awarded Who’s Who for the 2023-2024 year, which we accepted on his behalf. 

The opening session’s guest speaker was Stephanie Smith, VP of State and Regional Affairs with Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas (TECO).  Smith, who has an impressive resume that includes positions with state government, Uber, AT&T, and Anthem Healthcare. Stephanie described her non-traditional path from being a teenaged single mother to college graduate to job seeker. 

In addition to students attending competitive events, they attended an informative business panel session with panelists from a variety of companies and were able to ask questions and then mingle with the panelists after the session.  Three of the four panelists were former FBLA high school/college members.

Students also enjoyed local business tours to Hilton Orlando, Visit Orlando and Withum Accounting, where they met with the business’ officers and staff and were encouraged to ask questions about the companies, their cultures, their hiring practices, possible internships, etc.

These students have qualified to compete at the 2024 FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference in Orlando, FL, in late June.  Florida will be the host this year, the first time in more than a decade.