Lucky Number Seven - Future Business Leaders Score at Conference

The students came, competed, and received their winner certificates at the 2012 Wisconsin Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference held on the second weekend in March. The event took place from 9am Saturday, March 10, to 4pm Sunday, March 11, at the Comfort Inn & Suites on Washington Avenue and at Herzing’s Madison location, 5218 E. Terrace Drive. Seven students took part in both online and performance competitive events and placed. The students are now qualified to compete at the FBLA-PBL National Leadership Conference which will be held in San Antonio, Texas on June 24-27, 2012.

“I thought that it was a great experience being able to network and compete with other schools at a college level,” said Zeexue Xiong.

Xiong, who is pursuing an associate degree in accounting, won first place in the “Future Business Executive” competition. He was required to submit a cover letter, resume, and job application for a job of his choice. The documents were rated on a scale of 1-15. The student was also interviewed by two judges and rated according to the interview performance.

“Opportunities like this are rare and difficult to come across within other organizations and clubs,” Xiong said. “PBL does a great job of collaborating schools in the same state and promoting a friendly network for the members. I enjoyed the state conference, but I'm even more excited about Nationals!” Xiong is scheduled to graduate in December.

Martin Roeben took first place for Computer Concepts, an exercise that involved answering an objective, 100-multiple-choice questionnaire. Roeben is in the computer science bachelor’s degree program. His concentration is software engineering. He is also scheduled to graduate in December.

“I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was very surprised and encouraged to see all the other students there and by how nice and friendly everyone was,” Rueben said.

“Even though it was a competition, there wasn't an over abundant feeling of competitiveness in the air. It was more of a gathering of like-minded individuals to show off and make their best attempts at being the best within the state. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the National Conference in June.”

Over 60 students participated. They represented UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater, UW-Oshkosh, Herzing University, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

“FBLA-PBL provides students with opportunities to compete in various events on a state and national level,” said Patricia Ward, associate professor of business and Wisconsin PBL state adviser.

“Other opportunities for students include workshops, networking opportunities, and a chance to attend state and national leadership conferences. As advisor and member of the National Awards Program Committee, I am able to meet students from across the nation and am inspired by the enthusiasm and abilities of these young people.”

According to the website, the Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, or FBLA-PBL, is an American career and technical student organization. FBLA-PBL is a non-profit organization of high school (“FBLA”), middle school (“Middle Level”), and college (“PBL”) students, as well as professional members (“Professional Division”) who primarily help students transition to the business world. The largest student-run, business-related organization in the United States of America, FBLA-PBL has 253,365 members. It is one of the top 10 organizations listed by the U.S. Department of Education.

Results for Herzing University students:

Accounting for Professionals - David Halvorson - 2nd place Business Communication - Mayra Medrano - 2nd place Client Service - Mayra Medrano - 1st place Computer Applications -Marty Roeben - 1st place Computer Concepts - Dustin Martin - 1st place, Marty Roeben - 3rd place Cyber Security - Jeff Sarac, 1st place, Dustin Martin - 3rd place Future Business Executive -