Mississippi State University Phi Beta Lambda, the collegiate division of the Future Business Leaders of America, hosted the FBLA-PBL Fall Leadership Conference in Colvard Student Union on Friday.
Trent Nichols, Mississippi PBL president, said the conference was a chance for secondary and post-secondary members of FBLA-PBL to learn about business practices through a series of workshops.
“The fall conference offered many workshops. The workshops tell students how to plan for long-term business decisions, how to be more effective in their lives and how to deal with problems in the workplace,” he said.
Nichols said the conference also hosted Bruce Carter, an entrepreneur turned motivational speaker, to tell students about ways they can become successful in anything they do.
Jan Guyse, state advisor for Mississippi FBLA-PBL, said the conference was a time for students to reach out to other members.
“It was a networking time. They were able to meet people from outside their schools,” she said.
Pat Watson, MSU PBL president, said he took advantage of the networking opportunities the conference provided.
“I talked to people today that I’ve never met before, and I’m hoping I made a very good impression on them. When job opportunities come around, I hope they’ll remember me from this,” he said.
Watson said PBL is an opportunity for students to grow, not only as business leaders, but also in their personal lives.
Guyse said FBLA-PBL has many opportunities for students to gain skills necessary for the workplace.
“It teaches leadership skills to students through competitive events, community service, getting involved in schools, with parents and community leaders,” she said.
Nichols said the organization holds events on the state, regional and national level year-round.
“In the spring, we have a state leadership conference with around 50 competitive events. You can compete with members from all over the state,” he said. “National competition is in the summer, and you compete with people from all over the nation.”
Watson said he plans to use FBLA-PBL’s resources to find a job when he graduates next year.
“We have opportunities for job placement. They will update me on jobs here, there, wherever. I can get on the website and look for job opportunities,” he said.
PBL is open to students from all majors because most people will face a business situation during their lifetime, Nichols said.
“Every student will have to come across some form of business decision in his or her life,” he said. “They need to know how to be able to respond to those situations and be an active leader.”
Nichols said he thinks any student can benefit from the skills learned in PBL.
“It gives students the opportunity to become more active and effective leaders, to take that leadership challenge and set themselves apart, professionally,” he said.
Watson said he hopes PBL will help students become better in their personal lives and in their future workplaces.
“I hope students will gain confidence, motivation, determination and the opportunity to advance themselves not only in their lifestyle but in their career,” he said.
Watson said he thinks joining PBL is more than being in a club.
“We’re a great organization. I believe that it is not just a club,” he said. “We’re a family.”