York University’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter advanced seven students to the upcoming national competition during the recent Nebraska FBLA Collegiate State Leadership Conference. Gregory Bryant, a graduate student from Bellevue, Nebraska, secured a first-place finish in the Project Management competition, while several received top-three honors.
Students placing in the top four in each category are eligible to compete at the FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference scheduled for June 6-8 in Las Vegas. The university has been consistently represented at nationals in recent years, with Naomi Taake earning a 6th-place finish in Computer Applications at the 2025 national conference.
In addition to competitive events during the state conference, this year’s team received the Bronze Collegiate Excellence Award, a first for YU’s FBLA chapter. In individual honors, Brianna Lemke, a senior, accounting major from Ithaca, Nebraska, was named the Nebraska FBLA Collegiate Business Person of the Year, and Naomi Taake, a senior, cyber security major from Millbrook, Alabama, was recognized with a Nebraska FBLA Collegiate Who’s Who award.
Erin Baker, professor of accounting and YU’s FBLA Collegiate advisor, said, “I am incredibly proud of these students. Whether they were organizing workshops, fundraising, or preparing for tough competitions, they have accomplished amazing things. FBLA Collegiate helps boost their careers by developing leadership skills, offering scholarship opportunities, and connecting them with professionals in their field. The networking opportunities at the state and national levels are invaluable.”
Reflecting on the past two years she has served as advisor, Baker added, “The best part, though, are the memories and laughter we’ve shared. Our trip to Dallas, Texas, last year was unforgettable—from touring AT&T Stadium to celebrating Naomi placing 6th in the nation. Even the drive home through Wichita in the middle of a storm—terrifying as it was—is something we’ll never forget.”
Professor Robert Vickrey, Jassania Joseph, Harumi Cornejo, Valentina Jimenez, Amber White, Brianna Lemke, Grey Bryant, Landen Baum, Matthew Levine, Professor Erin Baker
Nebraska State FBLA Competition Results:
Landen Baum - Foundations of Entrepreneurship, 2nd place*, Emerging Business Issues, 4th place*, Organizational Behavior and Leadership, 5th place
Gregory Bryant - Project Management, 1st place*, Business Presentation, 4th place*
Harumi Cornejo - Business Presentation, 4th place*
Valentina Jimenez - Business Presentation, 4th place*
Brianna Lemke - Foundations of Marketing, 3rd place*, Foundations of Management, 3rd place*
Naomi Taake - Computer Applications, 3rd place*, Foundations of Computer Science, 5th place
Amber White - Foundations of Management, 2nd place*, Foundations of Accounting, 5th place
* Denotes national qualifiers (top four in each event)
Other top ten finishers for York were Jassania Joseph and Matthew Levine