ELLISVILLE- Seventeen of the nineteen Jones College students that competed in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State competition in Biloxi, Mississippi, came home winners. They all placed first or second in their competitive events, qualifying them for national competition in May, in Dallas, Texas. During the three-day conference, each student competed in two business-related events. The events ranged from Fundamentals of Accounting and Economics to Foundations of Technology and Public Speaking.
“Sixteen of the students will be going to the three-day national conference and competition in Dallas,” said Jones College’s FBLA Advisor, David Ray. “These students worked very hard, and we are excited to see what they can do at the national level in two months.”
Alyse Lunsford of Laurel placed first in Foundations of Accounting. Elisa Cook of Meridian earned first place honors in Impromptu Speaking and partnered with Ollie Hammonds of Laurel to place second in Emerging Business Issues. Ollie also placed second in Impromptu Speaking. Ollie and Elisa partnered in a third event, State of Chapter, which showcases Jones FBLA clubs’ accomplishments for the year, which they came home with first place in that event.
Enterprise’s Riley Smith placed first in Foundations of Economics as well as second place in Foundations of Accounting. Placing first in the Technology and Computer Science Case Competition, was the team of Tyler Freeman of Waynesboro, Lindsey Hull of Brandon, Ethan Noffke of Oak Grove, and Connor Perkins of Petal. Tyler also placed first in Foundations of Computer Science. Additionally, Lindsey placed third in Foundations of Cybersecurity and Ethan placed third in Foundations of Technology.
Elliot Sholtz of Gulfport placed first in Job Interview and third in Entrepreneurship Pitch while Emily Ponce of Morton received first place in Public Speaking. Ocean Spring’s Samantha Jordan placed first in Business Ethics and also teamed up with Jayla Jones of Quitman to take first place in Marketing, Sales, and Communications Case Study. Jayla also received second place in Foundations of Sports Management and Marketing. Laurel’s Regan Shoemaker took home second place in Business Presentation. Waynesboro’s Tanika Norsworthy placed second in Foundations of Computer Science and third in Foundations of Communications. Zion Cooper of Waynesboro teamed up with D’Angelo McLaurin of Collins to earn second place in the Entrepreneurship Pitch event. Leakesville’s Eliza Holder placed first in Computer Applications. Caleb Fairley of Mount Olive received fourth place in Business Presentation, while Ellisville’s Evan Nix received fourth place in Foundations of Technology.
