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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Virginia State University students excel at FBLA National Leadership Conference
Virginia State University students won top prizes at Future Business Leaders of America, Inc.'s National Leadership Conference. The event May 31-June 2 in Dallas drew over 1,000 college students, educators and volunteers. At the NLC, the VSU Chapter of FBLA showcased exceptional talent. The chapter, according to a news release, was consistently visible on the leaderboard and maintained a high level of networking and participation throughout the conference. VSU's Sakara Calhoun-Bey was the top-performing attendee. She exhibited her strong networking ability, and received the top position on the leaderboard for the FBLA application. Other top performers were Jenayah Loveless, Amiyah Ponton, King Maxwell, Elijah Adams, Renee Ogoh, Jasmine Fallen and Tania Outland. The VSU students represent what it means to be committed to the core values of FBLA: To collaborate, to compete and to lead. The NLC provides education, competition and networking opportunities centered on business. Through determination, hard work and efficient teamwork, VSU students placed in the top 10 of their competitive events. Remarkable achievement VSU excels at Future Business Leaders of America competition. What's next for students? Nayima Green and Nylan Taylor — 1st place in Management Case Elijah Adams, Nylan Taylor and Camron Cooper — 1st place in Marketing Case Abigail Rancy — 3rd place in Parliamentary Procedure Shane Roach, King Maxwell and Elijah Adams — 5th in Emerging Business Issues Makayla Robinson and Sakara Calhoun-Bey — 6th place in Hospitality Management Case Recipients dual-enrolled AdvanSix presents $2,000 STEM Scholarships: Read where students see themselves in 20 years More than 890 students from nearly 150 schools in 27 U.S. states and territories competed in 38 business-related events for cash prizes totaling over $45,000. Students also had the opportunity to engage in 60 learning workshops and meet with representatives from more than 25 colleges, universities and employers. Additionally, student members heard from Astad Dhunjisha, vice president of human resources and talent acquisition at AT&T, who shared his insights on change and innovation in the business world as well as what students can do now to prepare for a rapidly shifting job market. In response to the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business's victory involving over 1,000 student participants from nearly 150 institutions, Dr. Emmanuel Omojokun, professor of Computer Information Systems and dean of the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business, shared a reflection on the significance of the achievement and what it means for VSU. 'To win a national competition against nearly 150 schools that, between them, fielded over 1,000 student contestants is not just an affirmation of the caliber of undergraduates at the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business but also proof in the pudding that at Virginia State University, Greater Happens Here. If anyone needed any additional quantifiable evidence of what is being achieved at this Historically Black College and University, they need not look any further,' Omojokun said. 'This year's National Leadership Conference showcased the incredible talent and dedication of our student members,' Jennifer Woods, FBLA President and CEO, said. 'From analytical thinking to dynamic communication, they demonstrated the skills that will shape tomorrow's workforce. These college students leave Dallas not only with well-earned recognition but also with new connections, confidence and a clearer path toward their future careers.' FBLA, a nonprofit education association, has over 200,000 middle school, high school and college members worldwide. Dr. Aurelia Donald, Computer Information Systems Professor and FBLA Chapter Advisor, stated, "VSU couldn't be prouder of bringing home the big win!" 'Reach the stars' Petersburg: Young entrepreneur spreads positive vibes via her first business Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly, an award-winning columnist, is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@ follow @KHiggins_PI on X and@socialbutterflykristi on Instagram. Your support is vital to local journalism. Please . This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: VSU students celebrate, excel at FBLA National Leadership Conference
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Golden Lion Award: Emma Hudson
WEBB CITY, Mo. — The end of the school year is just days away. With it comes our final Golden Lion Award winner of the year. 'I'm a senior at Webb City High School,' said Emma Hudson, WCHS senior. Emma Hudson's time on campus isn't just class time and homework. 'I've been in FBLA for four years, and I've done DECA for three years. So those are business clubs that we have here at the high school. I was involved with FTA for three years. And then I help with Special Olympics,' said Hudson. Like track meets at Webb City High School. Emma is a unified buddy, meaning she's committed to helping students with disabilities. 'We have unified classes, where we have our PE class. They do their activities and everything, and us buddies trying to help motivate them. We work with them just make sure that they're having fun. And then whenever we have Special Olympics, where they're cheering them on,' said Hudson. Emma has also spent extra time with the Future Business Leaders of America, including hosting Webb City's first Business Bash. 'We were able to bring in some community members and have kids from Neosho come and learn about business. It's really helped our school as well kind of introduce kids to business and some new career pathways that they hadn't really realized,' said Hudson. She also helps with younger students as part of the cadet teaching program. Webb City teacher Amanda Eckols says that's just one reason Emma is a great example of a Golden Lion. 'She's very much a leader by doing rather than a leader by saying. She doesn't have the loudest voice. Uh, she doesn't stand up and tell everybody else what to do. She jumps in and has that servant leadership. That is a good role model for others,' said Amanda Eckols, WCHS teacher. MSSU hosts 84th Commencement Ceremony Golden Lion Award: Emma Hudson MSSU unveils new 3D printing center for health sciences Senior year is just about over for Emma, but she's already looking ahead to the next step. 'I'm going to MSSU in the fall. I'm going to be getting a major in elementary education with a certificate in birth to kindergarten,' said Hudson. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bettendorf High School students compete at business leadership conference
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) brought over 1,000 students and academic advisers from across Iowa to the Doubletree Hilton Convention Center in Cedar Rapids from March 30 to April 1. The annual FBLA conference brings career and technical education (CTE) students together to compete in over 100 competitive events. Students attended learning sessions with industry leaders and elected a state student officer team. The State Leadership Conference is a way to highlight the skills and knowledge gained in the classroom and apply them in real world scenarios and case studies. Seven students from Bettendorf High School attended and competed in several business and entrepreneurship competitive events. Six students became national qualifiers after getting passed in the first round, to the delight of their advisors Sarah Roeder, Mark Pisel and Angie Mojeiko. Bettendorf had a student who ran for state office for FBLA this year. Sreya Alla gave a campaign speech and ran an informational booth to convince voters to choose her as the next Iowa FBLA State Secretary. The members of Iowa FBLA voted for her as the next secretary for Iowa FBLA. This is the second time a state officer was chosen from Bettendorf in the last six years. 'We are so proud of our student members, who have been working diligently to prepare for the State Leadership Conference,' said Angie Mojeiko, Bettendorf FBLA adviser. 'They impressed industry leaders with their mastery of competitive event subjects, made powerful new connections with students around Iowa, and demonstrated their readiness to enter the workforce.' Award winners include: 1st place Help Desk, Sreya Alla 1st place Intro to Business Communications, Sreya Alla 2nd place Hospitality & Event Planning, Olivia Keninger & Kelly Le 3rd place Vocabulary Relay, Connor Wehr, Preston Tennant & Winston Shaner 4th place Intro to Business Concepts, Preston Tennant 4th place T-shirt Design, Sreya Alla & Delainey Sullivan 4th place Marketing, Connor Wehr & Preston Tennant 4th place Social Media Strategies, Sreya Alla, Olivia Keninger, & Delainey Sullivan 6th place T-shirt Design, Olivia Keninger & Kelly Le 8th place Broadcast Journalism, Delainey Sullivan 8th place Advertising, Delainey Sullivan 8th place, Visual Design Connor Wehr & Kelly Le Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
2024-25 High School Confidential, Week 24
Apr. 3—Welcome to Year 9 of High School Confidential, powered by Danville Area Community College. It's an award-winning project made possible by aspiring student journalists from every corner of our circulation area. Each Thursday through April, they'll tell us what's happening in their hallways at . At least once a week, we'll also hand over our Snapchat account (News-Gazette) to our correspondents for behind-the-scenes tours. Feedback? Email N-G/VP Jim Rossow at . On to this week's report: Students participating in the state competition in Science Olympiad presented for peers and faculty showcases everything they learned in their designated events (examples are entomology, experimental design, wind power and forensics). The team is looking forward to competing at the state event and is hoping to walk away with a few medals as well. Pictured: Sorin Popescu and Evie Price. On Friday, Math Club officer Tyce Alumbaugh had the honor of pieing five teachers in the face. The entire high school was dismissed early to watch the event as a reward for answering 70 math-themed trivia questions correctly during "Pi Week." Teachers pictured: Braden Snyder, Marika Rosenberger, Melissa Miles, David Salefski, Kraig Rogers and Principal Doug Kepley taking photos. On March 12-15, Rusty Cambell and Bethanie Marshal chaperoned three students — Cole Crawley, Maya McCool and Macey Gernand — on a trip to the Illinois Reading Conference (IRC) in Springfield. Students who participated were juniors or seniors who wish to be teachers in the future. The event provided valuable lessons that can be applied to teaching in the future for all grades from preschool to eighth grade. They specifically looked at how to make reading more appealing to students while still allowing them to obtain useful information. On March 21, Meagan Meade and FFA members hosted their annual Farm Day, a yearly tradition in which students bring in many different animals including a pig, goats, chickens, a cow and horses. The event included a one-legged chicken named Little Chirp — named by first-grade students — and a blind cat named Daisy. The elementary students started off the morning with a hay ride to the Piatt County fairgrounds to see the animals. Pictured: freshman Ramie Shaffer teaching elementary students about ducks raised by the FFA members. On March 29, Chrisman's Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) attended their state conference, where they completed projects, attended workshops and heard from influential speakers. Bella Labaume and Emma Brown presented their Intro to Business project first thing. Grant Wells placed eighth in Intro to Parliamentary Procedure. Gabby Nolan was third in Intro to FBLA for the chance to attend nationals in Anaheim, Calif. FBLA adviser Jamie Stokes said she was proud of the students for their performance. The musical program has been working diligently to prepare for their showing of "Once Upon a Mattress." With three-hour practices multiple times a week, the students have just about got it nailed down — and are excited to take the stage. Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the high school (tickets available at the door). The Jelani Day Foundation hosted and sponsored an HBCU fair for all students — including middle-schoolers — to attend. Along with the many college stands, fraternities and sororities also had tables to set up at and talk to the students. D'Andre Day, representative of the Jelani Day Foundation, provided a speech to give insight on the foundation and honor the beloved Jelani Day. "Jelani's purpose was HBCU," he said. Middle school and high school teachers had another secret Spirit Week before spring break. Themes included "March Madness," "Vacation Day" and "Singular Color Day." Pictured, left to right: Kayla Ross, Ashley Hieronymus, Samantha Kirkton, Sierra Brodhacker and Megan Pearson. The band took a field trip up to Chicago on Friday to see the Iowa State wind ensemble and University of Iowa symphony band in a joint concert at Symphony Hall. Before that, students played tourist and stopped by the Bean downtown. The Future Business Leaders of America organization went to its state leadership conference to compete in a test or presentation. It was a fun-filled weekend with workshops and meeting new people. A total of 17 students placed in the top 10 of their events and five Falcons qualified for nationals in Anaheim, Calif.: Sarah Higgins, Chloe Tjarks, Anna Warren and Addy Kerchenfaut (not pictured: Lizzie Giroux). The baseball team secured its first season win with a hard-fought 3-2 victory against Fisher. Last Wednesday, the high school hosted a career fair that was open to the public and students. The event garnered 25 local businesses/career opportunities as vendors, including First Farmers Bank, the Hoopeston Police Department, Ameren, Carle and more. They had the opportunity to share job openings, career paths and industry insights. Seniors kicked off their annual trip to Puerto Rico with a visit to a local school, spending the day connecting with the kids. From teaching martial arts to painting faces, they made meaningful memories while giving back to the community. Photos by Jim Moxley. Over spring break, the marching band and choir traveled to Disney World. These groups make the trip every three years. Students fundraise by selling baked goods throughout the three years. The choir performed Elton John's song "I'm Still Standing." The band marched through Disney World playing "The Race." Between the two groups, about 80 students attended. A handful of students — choir and band members — serenaded Captain America with their rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner." Both groups are directed by Bridgette Wells. Alongside her, Tony Mettrick assists the chorus by playing piano. Both groups had tons of fun during the trip. Many track-and-field athletes qualified for last weekend's indoor state meet, resulting in several all-state performances: The girls' 3,200 relay team of Maddie DeOrnellas, Ella Strebeck, Sydney Pickens and Audrey McCoy placed eighth; Robert Boyd-Meents won long jump; Mason Vaughan was second in 60 hurdles; and Isaiah Busby was fifth in the 800. The U.S. Constitution team hosted its third annual "We the Pickle" pickleball tournament to raise money for an upcoming trip to Washington, D.C., for nationals. There were two tournaments — recreational and advanced — for people to participate in. Pictured: members of the team Lauren Harris, Luke Ditchfield, William Besson and Charley Wright and coach Marshall Schacht with the winners of the advanced pool, Steve Welch and Brock Ideus. Congratulations to Addie Kerr, JJ Schmidt and Ashley Wells for signing with colleges to continue their athletic and academic careers. Kerr signed with Southern Illinois University for volleyball. Schmidt signed with Aurora University for football. And Wells will play golf at Illinois Wesleyan University. The FFA livestock judging team was back in action at Lake Land College. The team placed 27th among 232 students competing, and Lucy DeAth placed eighth overall. Also: Salt Fork FFA had a state winner in Agri-Science Research Animal Systems — Lilly DeAth. Salt Fork FFA continues to make their program known throughout the state. Superintendent Morgan Wilhoit was honored as part of 20 Under 40 in a special edition of the local newspaper, The Prairie Press. As a graduate of Shiloh, Wilhoit returned to the school as a principal (pre-K through sixth grade). This is her first year as superintendent. The newspaper decided to create the section to honor "an exceptional group of young professionals whose dedication, leadership, and contributions are shaping the future of Edgar County." Also: English teacher Amy McClain took the English III students to the Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis on March 25. The class has recently been reading "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams, and the production was going to be performed at the theater. The play and novelization is an autobiography based on Williams' life. The characters represent his family and memories. The class was able to experience the joy of attending and supporting theater while seeing the novel come to life. Pictured, left to right: (front) Hennessey White, Brylee Wallen and Katie Holmes; (back) Javlynn Labaume, Kylie Webb, Aiden Loveall, Eain White, Caleb Pacley, Clay Kibler, Lucas Reynolds, Will Dudley and Hailey Purcell. Funded by a grant, the Scholastic Bowl tam went on a field trip to the Spurlock Museum of World Culture and the Champaign-Urbana Adventures of Time and Space escape rooms. The Asian American Association (AAA) hosted a multicultural potluck for the Uni community. After a long week, this after-school Friday event was the perfect treat for students. Pictured: Gabby Mongwa, Jacque Butts and Luke Stevens with their food. Art classes put on their annual Fine Arts Festival last Thursday, students from across the school displaying their 2D and 3D art they have been working on this year. There were also concessions, games and a cupcake walk. Visitors could also vote on which art display was their favorite. Pictured: Sophia Frye, Emma Swisher and Kade Dubson. Over spring break, the orchestra traveled to New Orleans to play at Washington Artillery Park, Jackson Square and The National WWII Museum. When they weren't playing music, the group took a cooking class at The New Orleans School of Cooking, visited the New Orleans Jazz Museum and even went on a ghost tour through the city. Photos via Mi'a Garvin and Muleiya Prum. Villa Grove hosted its second career fair as students went table to table to discuss with colleges, military and people from the trades. Students were also assigned to different classes to learn about certain careers and paths after high school. Have you ever been freaked out about taking a test? Have you ever thought that the teacher, the students and even the test were plotting against you? This is what happens when Alan Lefenfeld tries to take the biggest test of his life. Drama Club students are planning for their play "This is a Test," which will premiere on Friday and Saturday in the Westville High School old gym. Pictured: freshman Jackson Lewis as Lefenfeld.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Ephrata High's Smith named student of the month
Mar. 20—EPHRATA — Devin Smith, a sophomore at Ephrata High School, has been recognized as one of the EHS February Students of the Month, a recognition bestowed by his teacher, Scott Sandberg. Sandberg, who teaches cyber security and serves as the Future Business Leaders of America advisor, highlighted Smith's exemplary performance and dedication both in and out of the classroom as the primary reasons for his nomination. "Devin has been an outstanding student. He steps up and does pretty much anything that I ask of him, and even things I don't ask — he goes out of his way to make sure that anything that needs to be done gets done," Sandberg said. "He sees things that I don't even see sometimes." Smith, who is enrolled in multiple Career and Technical Education courses, including cyber security and graphic design, has consistently demonstrated his ability to balance an academically rigorous schedule with a variety of extracurricular activities, Sandberg said. His current course load also includes college-level chemistry and advanced mathematics. "I usually push all my work off until after school, which is normally when I have a lot of time," Smith said. "I get around 50 minutes per class, so that gives me time to work on some things, and I'll finish any outstanding work at home." Sandberg cited specific instances where Smith has gone above and beyond in his role as a student and leader. For example, when Sandberg recently took over the broadcasting class, Smith proactively identified issues within the broadcasting studio and took the initiative to improve it. "He stepped in and got the broadcast studio up and running," Sandberg said. "He also goes out and does the streaming with us as part of our Tiger Vision extracurricular activity." In addition to his contributions to broadcasting, Smith serves as the president of the esports club. In the past year, membership in the club has grown significantly, attributed in part to the introduction of new games, like "Overwatch 2." "We introduced a new game that got a lot of new kids into it, and then they started getting more comfortable with the other games that we had," Smith said. Smith's participation in FBLA has also been noteworthy. He is a state qualifier participating in digital animation and game design competitions. His digital animation video can be watched here: Last year, Smith placed seventh with his animation in a state competition. Sandberg recognized Smith's achievements in FBLA. "He's going to state in both of those events and has already shown great potential," Sandberg said. Upon receiving the news of his nomination as a February Student of the Month, Smith expressed gratitude for the recognition. "I was excited," Smith said. "I think that was the moment when I realized that people do look up to me and see me as someone they could look up to." This recognition he said motivates him to strive for excellence in all his endeavors, acknowledging the supportive environment fostered by his peers. "Devin has a group of friends that is a really high-achieving group," Sandberg said. "They all push each other academically, which is kind of a cool group of individuals." Looking to the future, Smith aims to continue building his technical skills and developing his leadership qualities. He has expressed interest in pursuing a career in the technology sector. "I plan to work at not any specific tech firm, but something to at least work with my current abilities," Smith said. "Whether that be a data center or a tech phone center, I want to keep my skills sharp." As for what he considers his dream job, Smith mentioned his interest in the entertainment industry, fueled in part by his experiences with Tiger Vision. "I've always been interested in entertainment, and I might push towards that sooner or later," Smith said. Sandberg said he's optimistic about Smith's future. "I'm lucky that I have him for a couple more years," Sandberg said. "He inspires our younger generation and has the extraordinary potential to be someone who creates and produces technology rather than just consuming it."
