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By PBL Co-sponsor Estella Bennett-Mask

The Eastern Oklahoma State College Chapter of Phi Beta Lambda completed it’s year–long journey on “The Road to Success” at this year’s National Leadership Conference in Orlando, FL. Future Business Leaders of America/Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA/PBL) is a professional association of students pursuing business careers. This year’s theme “The Road to Success” was exemplified by Eastern students who received several awards at the national conference. Attending the national conference were Alisha Harris, Hartshorne; Chris Mervyn, McAlester; Lindy Morgan and Tuan Nguyen, Wilburton; and co-advisors Estella Bennett-Mask and Linda Morgan.

The team of Morgan, and Mervyn placed second in the American Enterprise Project with a written report and oral presentation outlining a month of activities with the fifth grade class at Edmond Doyle elementary school in McAlester. Chapter members created and presented lesson plans on the importance of savings and its impact on the economy. The lesson plans consisted of interactive games, storytelling, computer games, and students’ setting a savings goal. Edmond Doyle students saved more than $2, 200 over the four–week period of the project. Morgan also placed fifth with the Local Chapter Annual Business Report and Mervyn was seventh in the C++ Programming competition. Harris competed in Word Processing and Ngyuen in Accounting Principles. The team of Morgan and Harris made the preliminary round with the chapter’s Community Service Project which involved a year of activities for the American Cancer Society, but did not make the final round.

More than 2,000 students from around the nation competed in 40 events representing a range of business, career, and leadership activities.

Eastern students became eligible to compete at the national conference after placing in the top five at Oklahoma’s state conference in April.

“We have spent many hours in practice and review preparing for this competition and we are very proud of our students’ accomplishments,” said co-advisor Bennett-Mask.

The Eastern PBL Chapter also received the Gold Seal Chapter of Merit Award. “This award is given in recognition of outstanding achievements by a chapter during the year,” stated co-advisor Morgan. Additional
chapter awards included the 100 per cent Class Participation award, second place at the regional level for recruitment of Professional Division members and the Outstanding Chapter Recognition Award for activities to enrich the experiences of members at the local, state and national levels.

Morgan who received a scholarship to attend the National Leadership Conference was also recognized as Who’s Who in national PBL, as Oklahoma’s state president, and for having achieved the Executive Level of the Career and Membership Achievement Program. “I feel honored to have received the scholarship and to have participated in so many leadership activities,” said Morgan. The scholarship was based upon demonstration of leadership skills, participation in Phi Beta Lambda and academic performance.

In addition to the competitive events, students and advisors attended career and motivational workshops and campaigned for and elected regional and national officers. Phi Beta Lambda, the postsecondary division of FBLA-PBL, Inc., has approximately 11,000 members in 461 chartered chapters. There are four levels of participation, middle school, high school, post-secondary, and professional.

Caption info:

Eastern PBL members attending national competition include from left:
Tuan Nguyen, Wilburton; Estella Bennett-Mask, co-sponsor; Linda Morgan, co-sponsor; Lindy Morgan, Wilburton; Alisha Harris, Hartshorne and Chris Mervyn, McAlester.