West Georgia Technical College Phi Beta Lambda students excelled at the 2017 National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, Calif., last month, with seven students placing in the top 10 of their respective categories.

Out of the organization’s 45 members, 22 students qualified for national competition and made the trip to California in late June. The 22 West Georgia Tech students competed in 33 different categories over the course of five days.

Students participated in competitive events focused on several business-related topics, including forensic accounting, hospitality management and business decision-making.

Beyond individual competitions, students participated in chapter and team events, with the organization’s Douglas Chapter receiving second place in annual business reporting.

More than 1,800 of America’s best and brightest college students traveled to Southern California to establish their own Legacy of Leadership as they competed for the opportunity to win more than $95,000 in cash awards, according to a release from the National Leadership Conference.

The competition was part of a comprehensive national competitive events program sponsored by FBLA-PBL that recognizes and rewards excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. For many students, the competitive events are the capstone activity of their academic careers. In addition to competitions, students immersed themselves in interactive workshops, visited an information-packed exhibit hall, and heard from motivational keynotes on a broad range of business topics.

PBL 2017 National Competition winners from West Georgia Tech and their respective competitive events are as follows:

2nd place – Douglas Chapter – Local Chapter Annual Business Reporting

3rd place – Daniel Williams – Accounting Principles

4th place – Sherry Gomez and McAllister Wheeless – Mobile Applications

5th place – David Herrington – Accounting for Professionals

5th place – Sherry Gomez and McAllister Wheeless – Computer Animation

6th place – Cody Ziegler – Forensic Accounting

8th place – Boyd Stancombe – Cybersecurity

10th place – Maddie White – Hospitality Management

Top 15 – David Herrington and Jodi Hubbard – Business Decision-Making

Top 15 – Amanda Ashley, Valencia Harper, Cindy Wilson – Community Service Project

Top 15 – Dorothy Ngalame – Global Analysis and Decision-Making