Central Georgia Technical College was recently represented at the Georgia Phi Beta Lambda State Leadership Conference by members of the newly charted Milledgeville campus PBL chapter. This was the first year the chapter competed at the state conference held at the Westin North Perimeter Hotel in Atlanta. The Milledgeville chapter came away with six awards and three students eligible for the National PBL Leadership Conference in Chicago, Ill., in June.

Students who placed in individual events at the state competition include Kelly Bishop of Jasper County who won first place in Web Design and third place in Business Presentation. In team events, Amy Guwin of Putnam Countyand Jennifer Robert of Baldwin County won second place in Desktop Publishing. These winners will now have the opportunity to attend the National Phi Beta Lambda Conference.

Other competitors include Patricia Lane of Baldwin County who competed in Job Interview and Client Service. Guwin also competed in Word Processing, and Robert competed in Retail Management as well.

The Milledgeville PBL chapter also won several chapter awards for Division One, the division for smaller chapters. The Milledgeville chapter won first place for the most March of Dimes donations, second place for Chapter Increase and Chapter Membership Increase, and third place for Largest Chapter.

Casie Bridges, PBL advisor, and Jane Sheppard, co-advisor, accompanied the students to the conference. The Milledgeville chapter was activated in January 2015, and the members have been overwhelmingly excited about having a student organization on the Milledgeville campus.

“The PBL organization is a wonderful experience for students to become better leaders in the business world, “said Sheppard.

All the members have organized fundraising events, community service projects, and leadership training opportunities for members. Additionally, Lane secured sponsorship for the state leadership conference from Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in Deepstep and the Word of Life Church in Sandersville. Chambers Cleaners in Milledgeville was also a sponsor.

Of the efforts put forth by the students with the competition and fundraising, Bridges stated, “I am so proud of the students and the hard work they have put in to accomplish these goals.”

PBL is a national organization and is the post-secondary equivalent of Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA. Phi Beta Lambda is dedicated to professional development, community service, and leadership skills. Students from all program areas are invited to join the organization. For more information, please visit www.fbla-pbl.org.

CGTC’s Summer Semester begins May 19. Apply today at www.centralgatech.edu.