The UT Dallas chapter of Phi Beta Lambda shone with a strong share of first-place finishes at the Texas State Leadership Conference April 12-13 at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.
Phi Beta Lambda is the collegiate division of the Future Business Leaders of America, and the campus chapter, based in the Naveen Jindal School of Management, tallied 18 first-place showings, seven second-place finishes and a third-place finish.
The president and vice president of the Phi Beta Lambda chapter teamed up for two first-place finishes—in the human resource management and business presentations categories, respectively. For the latter, they were pressed with the challenge of showing why companies should partner with nonprofit organizations.
“I played the role of the company, and she played the role of the nonprofit organization, and we were presenting to the shareholders of both places on why they should join forces,” said Akhil Mutyala, president of the chapter and a senior in information technology and systems.
Niveditha Srinivasa, vice president of the chapter and a senior majoring in finance, said the vastness of the topic was itself a challenge: “Just trying to figure out how to narrow down such a large topic into what the judges would want to see and how we could make sure that we were hitting all the points.”
Beyond the competition, the conference also had career workshops. Mutyala and Srinivasa said that one, Leadership 101, was a standout because it provided interaction that helped participants better understand what traits make a person who can make others around them better.
Dr. Kristen Lawson, the Phi Beta Lambda chapter advisor and a JSOM clinical assistant professor who teaches business communications, was pleased with competition results and students’ reaction to the experience. “They are an amazing group that is always out to do better,” she said.
Strong placings also came from several chapter members who were not JSOM students.
Next up? Nationals in San Antonio, June 24-27.
“I think we’re ready to have another outstanding showing,” Lawson said. “The students are motivated and are enjoying themselves. And the best part is, they learn from each other as well as these competitions.”
