LC Future Business Leaders of America Place in Top 10 at National Leadership Conference

The L&C FBLA Club at the Collegiate National Leadership Conference. From left to right, Christina Wickenhauser, Eva Voumard, Darran Mason Ferrell, Nicc Edwards, Vondasia Pittman and Bre Welch.Photo provided by Christina Wickenhauser

GODFREY - Lewis and Clark Community College's Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) placed in the top 10 across the nation in at least one area at the FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference in Orlando, FL.

The FBLA received several awards from the State Leadership Conference earlier this year: seven first-place awards, two second-place awards, and three third-place awards.

Associate Professor and FBLA Club Advisor Christina Wickenhauser said she attributes her team's success to student involvement and determination.

"My students rose to every challenge I presented to them and excelled far beyond what I had imagined," Wickenhauser said.

Wickenhauser said the club members are always encouraging and supportive of one another, especially when faced with discouragement or disappointment.

Nicc Edwards, Vondasia Pittman and Bre Welch said their biggest priority preparing for the conference was meeting after school and constantly reviewing their material until it was second nature.

Edwards and the others said Wickenhauser was an invaluable resource for their preparation. She would watch their presentation and give constructive feedback and advice so that they could improve after each practice run.

"Practice makes perfect," Welch said.

Pittman said the biggest lesson she learned from the conference was not to let anxiety and overthinking prevent her from putting her best foot forward. She admired the business professionals who spoke eloquently and seemed so put together. She said she realized they were letting go of doubts and worries and putting forth their best effort.

Edwards believes the FBLA club has built a solid foundation in its first year and looks forward to continued growth. The club's goals are to take more students to conferences for experience and help them compete on state and national levels. Edwards said the club wants to build a strong network of students and develop skills that translate well into life outside of college.

"Even though we have only one year under our belt, I believe we can take our new knowledge and experience and apply it to next year's venture," Edwards said. "With zero previous experience, we came home with 14 state and five national awards. I'm excited to see what we can achieve moving forward."

Awards

• Eva Voumard: 10^th place in Foundations of Communications
• Darran Mason Ferrell: 9^th place in Sports Management and Marketing; 9^th place in 9^th place in Future Business Executive
• Nicc Edwards: 5^th place in Job Interview
• Nicc Edwards, Vondasia Pittman and Bre Welch: 7th place in the Marketing, Sales and Communications Case Competition

Watch the awards ceremony at https://vimeo.com/event/4288550.

Timestamps:

• Sports Management and Marketing (Darran Mason Ferrell) - 01:03:01
• Marketing, Sales and Communications Case Competition (Nicc Edwards, Vondasia Pittman and Bre Welch) - 01:18:23
• Foundations of Communications (Eva Voumard) - 01:38:17
• Job Interview (Nicc Edwards) - 01:40:01
• Future Business Executive (Darran Mason Ferrell) - 01:48:58

Learn more about L&C or apply today at www.lc.edu/admissions/index.html.

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