Skip to main content
Intellect

BYU business students win firsts in regional competition

Three Brigham Young University business students took top honors at the Future Business Leaders—Phi Beta Lambda National Awards competition held in July in Denver. The competition drew more than 7,000 students who competed in 40 categories.

Julia Skelton and Cory Latschkowski worked together to earn first place in the network design category. Erik Taylor, a recent graduate in economics from Orem, Utah, placed first in the economics division.

BYU's Phi Beta Lambda chapter, the collegiate level of the nonprofit association Future Business Leaders of America, prepares students for careers in business and business-related fields. Members competed in state competitions in March and the qualifying students went on to the national competition.

A multiple-choice exam was the first component of the competition. Skelton, a sophomore studying advertising and marketing from Alberta, Canada, and Latschkowski, a senior studying management from Washington, Utah, placed in the top ten and advanced to the second round where they presented a solution to a networking case study.

"We were quarantined in a room at 8 a.m. and had to stay there until we presented; some students didn't present until 2 p.m.," Skelton says. "We were given the case study and 25 minutes to prepare our solutions and presentation. We couldn't bring anything in with us; we just had two note cards and a pen. It was stressful but rewarding."

BYU students John Keller, a senior from Salt Lake City studying international studies, and Corey Crowell, a recent graduate in finance management from Ogden, Utah, respectively placed fifth and tenth in the international business category. Skelton also placed fourth in word processing and Latschkowski, who took second in network design last year, also placed seventh in networking concepts.

"The experience of competing has made me re-evaluate how my classes apply in real situations," Skelton says. "In these competitive events, I have had to make quick business decisions under pressure, which has given me a different type of education."

PBL has more than 250,000 student members nationwide in 6,000 chartered chapters and is the largest student business association of its kind. It sponsors competitions, guest speakers, service opportunities and conferences throughout the year.

Writer: Cari Thomas

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Air traffic control for drones: BYU engineers introduce low-cost UAV detection technology

February 10, 2025
With the exponential rise in drone activity, safely managing low-flying airspace has become a major issue. Using a network of small, low-cost radars, engineering professor Cammy Peterson and her colleagues have built an air traffic control system for drones that can effectively and accurately track anything in an identified low-altitude airspace.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Risk it or kick it? BYU research analyzes NFL coaches’ risk tolerance on fourth down

February 06, 2025
BYU study reveals how NFL coaches, including Super Bowl contenders Andy Reid and Nick Sirianni, weigh risk on fourth down.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Forum: “The Pursuit of happiness”

January 28, 2025
Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, spoke to BYU students and employees at the Marriott Center in this week’s forum address. He emphasized the importance of self-improvement through the pursuit of virtue.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=