Trio of Cottey students place first and third in national business competition

Friday, September 7, 2007
submitted photo Cottey students Volha Charnysh, Amber Hayward and Julie Daniels display awards earned at the National Phi Beta Lambda Competition held this summer in Chicago.

Cottey College students placed top in the nation at the National Phi Beta Lambda Competition conducted this summer in Chicago.

Phi Beta Lambda is a collegiate business organization.

Cottey student Volha Charnysh placed first in the nation in the individual International Business Competition. Volha also placed first at the Missouri State competition held last spring. Cottey student Julie Daniels placed third in the individual Future Business Executive Competition and third in the Parliamentary Procedure Team Event. Amber Hayward competed in the Sports Management and Marketing event. At the national conference, PBL members participated in business-related and leadership development workshops, learned how to be more successful in life, heard from motivational speakers, toured business and corporate facilities, elected national officers, and participated in national competitive events.

Phi Beta Lambda is a national organization for students at the collegiate level who plan to pursue careers in the business environment. Phi Beta Lambda students develop leadership and teamwork skills that lead to future success. The PBL mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. There are more than 11,000 active members in the United States. Missouri has more than 700 members in 33 chapters.

Students at the conference had the ability to compete in several areas including: accounting, computer programming, economic concepts, financial concepts, human resource management, hospitality management, management, and sports marketing.

"I am very proud of the students who represented the PBL chapter from Cottey College," Dr. Gary Lunkenheimer, Cottey College business and economics assistant professor and advisor for the Phi Beta Lambda Business Organization, said. "The business and leadership skills students obtain through PBL make increased success in the business world more likely. It is a pleasure to work with such high-achieving students," Lunkenheimer said.

Approximately 2,000 students attended the conference, for which the theme was "Your Ticket to the Future."

The contest was tough as the students competed against their peers from four-year colleges and universities and community colleges across the United States.

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