Catawba College student delegates recently won four first-place awards at the annual State Leadership Conference of the North Carolina State Chapter of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL).

The Future Business Leaders of America, of which PBL is a part, is the largest business career student organization in the world, with more than 240,000 high school, college and professional division members. The conference included a total of 370 students of various academic majors and minors from colleges across the state. Categories included individual and presentation events in subjects ranging from business communication to macroeconomics.

Catawba delegates who earned first-place finishes include Blake Pierce, business communications and forensic accounting; Lucas Helbring, economic analysis and decision making; and Ryan Reid, financial concepts.

Moreover, seven other Catawba students or teams also placed in second through fifth place. Many of the Catawba attendees also qualified to compete in the PBL Nationals in San Antonio, Texas, this June.

“The success of our students at the PBL State Conference is a result of the excellent education that students receive in both general and business education at Catawba,” said faculty adviser Dr. Pamela Thompson.

Other awards given to Catawba delegates include a chapter award for 10 years of participation and a ten-year award as a PBL advisor to Thompson. New co-adviser Karen Gaskill, an accounting professor at Catawba, was also recognized for her first year of service.

Apart from awards, the conference also represented an opportunity for students to apply what they have learned in the classroom and to meet others with similar interests.

“I got to network with other chapters and the professional division which will help me with career opportunities in the future,” said Lukas Helbing, class of 2019 and vice president of PBL for the 2018-2019 year.