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Four Lincoln Trail College students had the opportunity to travel to Omaha, Nebraska for the Future Business Leaders of America’s Career Connections Conference.
Guadalupe Amicone, Evan Gower, Madisyn McIntosh, and Dylan Reed traveled to the conference with advisor Amie Mayhall for the conference, which took place November 3-5.
“FBLA’s Career Connections Conference, which we started in 2018, will reach hundreds of college students this fall from the Heartland to the Atlantic,” FBLA President & CEO Alexander Graham said. “By supporting their early career development with expert panels on job recruitment and leadership skills, as well as providing invaluable networking opportunities, we are ensuring students are ready on day one for today’s turbulent job market.”
The conference also offered attendees the opportunity to hear directly from leading career professionals on topics such as finding a job, succeeding in a first job, and developing leadership and executive skills. In addition, FBLA members receive professional headshots and individual resume reviews as part of the conference.
LTC’s students toured two businesses, Kiewit and Gallup. While at Kiewit, one of North America’s largest construction and engineering organizations, students toured their building, visited their innovation center to see how they are incorporating and investigating new technologies, and were treated to drinks at their in-house coffee bar.
While at Gallup, students learned about the Clifton Strengths that 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies use. Students toured the building and also learned about the founders of Gallup.
For the first time, FBLA collegiate members participated in a Case Study Competition in the areas of accounting, finance, and hospitality management. Students were put into randomized groups to review and prepare their case with other FBLA students before the conference, then present them in teams before a set of judges.
Mayhall says many of the students in attendance decided not to follow through with their commitments for the Case Study Competition. All of LTC’s students did participate and Mayhall says they all presented well. Reed finished second in Finance. “ I am proud of our students and their participation, attitudes, and look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”
She says the conference was very beneficial to the students. They had numerous opportunities for networking and learning. The students were also exposed to different careers and businesses that they may not have been exposed to otherwise. She says the trip also offered the students some great opportunities for bonding.
“The conference was an incredible experience in my opinion,” says Amicone, a freshman from Buenos Aires, Argentina. “I learned a lot in each conference, people corrected our resumes, and we did a presentation. But, talking with people from other states was my favorite part.”
