Coahoma Community College (CCC) student Tori Anderson recently won first and second place in two categories at this year's Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference held at Mississippi University for Women.
Anderson, a Medical Coding and Billing major and president of the FBLA chapter at CCC, attended the conference with Kimberly Hollins, office systems and accounting technology instructor. Anderson placed first in Business Communications and 2nd in Human Resources Management. The event took place February 22-24.
FBLA is a premier student business organization of young people preparing for success as leaders in business, government, and communities.
The FBLA event served as the organization's state conference and aimed to bring together Mississippi community colleges and university students to compete in various business subject areas.
Anderson shared her excitement about bringing home the coveted awards. "Winning the competition was astonishing and exhilarating. I was mind-blown at the ordeal because I didn't think I was prepared enough compared to everyone else," said Anderson.
During the competition, she shared having feelings of nervousness about competing in the category of Human Resource Management because she prepared for that portion alone, and Mrs. Hollins assisted her in preparing for the Business Communication category. She ultimately remembered the valuable lessons she learned in the classroom and pushed forward.
Anderson expressed that she was going through a tough time while preparing for the competition, but she did not let that stop her from fulfilling her duties, noting that the support of her instructor made a significant impact on her obtaining the wins.
"I did a practice test and quizlet or quizziz.com when I could, which wasn't often, but Mrs. Hollins helped me along the way. She pulled information from textbooks and the FBLA website to help me better prepare," said Anderson.
Anderson said that she is not a conventional student, but as she works towards her second degree at CCC, she is grateful for an instructor like Mrs. Hollins.
Hollins felt overjoyed to watch one of her students excel in this competition. She finds pleasure in assisting students in reaching their goals. She has served as a CCC employee for 25 years.
"I felt proud as an advisor and as an instructor. This organization has not competed since 2019. In that year, we did not place. I am glad to have disciplined students who will put the work in and research the material to be productive and successful," said Hollins.
She also expressed how honored she felt to represent the CCC as an institution.
"It lets our community and the institution know that we produce quality students and can compete among the best. We appreciate Dr. Larry Webster, Dean of the Division of Career Technical Education, for allowing us to continue to compete on the state level," said Hollins.
With these wins, the CCC FBLA chapter is eligible to compete at the National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 22-24, 2023.
Future Business Leaders of America, Inc. (FBLA) is the largest business Career and Technical Student Organization in the world. Each year, FBLA helps over 230,000 members prepare for careers in business. FBLA inspires and prepares students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences.
Students interested in joining FBLA can contact Kimberly Hollins, office systems and accounting technology instructor, at 662.621.4150 or khollins@coahomacc.edu for more information.