Student Success
Students Win Awards for Business Leadership
RALEIGH, N.C. (March 27, 2024) – Wake Tech students are celebrating big wins at the North Carolina Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) annual conference.
The FBLA Collegiate State Leadership Conference took place March 27-29 in Charlotte. The nine students who presented collectively won 21 awards, including three first-place honors.
FBLA Collegiate is the post-secondary division of FBLA, a global organization dedicated to inspiring and developing the next generation of business leaders through career preparation and leadership experiences. FBLA's competitive events recognize and reward student excellence in career-related fields, providing them with opportunities to apply classroom concepts in workforce-simulated environments.
Wake Tech university transfer and information technology students competed against their peers from colleges and universities across North Carolina. All Wake Tech students who competed in the state-level conference received awards that qualified them to compete at the FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference May 31-June 2 in Dallas, Texas. These nine students showcased their career readiness and won the following awards:
First Place
- Nabiha Amjad - Cybersecurity
- Arpita Tokhi - Foundations of Marketing
- Mannal Amjad - Future Business Facilitator
Second Place
- Mannal Amjad - Foundations of Entrepreneurship
- Bradley Huntoon - Foundations of Technology
- Kiranpreet Kaur - Organizational Behavior & Leadership
Third Place
- Neha Chowdary Amaraneni - Business Presentation, Cybersecurity
- Kiranpreet Kaur - Business Presentation
- Arpita Tokhi - Business Presentation
- Mannal Amjad - Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition, Project Management
- Nabiha Amjad - Foundations of Communication
- Harshita Sahu - Foundations of Hospitality Management
- Michael Ayodele - Future Business Facilitator
Fourth Place
- Charles Swinarski - Finance Case Competition
Fifth Place
- Charles Swinarski - Accounting Case Competition
Sixth Place
- Michael Ayodele - Future Business Executive
Seventh Place
- Neha Chowdary Amaraneni - Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition
- Harshita Sahu - Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition
- Arpita Tokhi - Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition
- Nabiha Amjad - Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition
Eighth Place
- Bradley Huntoon - Impromptu Speaking
Huntoon, who is pursuing AAS degrees in Network Management and Cloud Infrastructure, also was named Who's Who in North Carolina FBLA Collegiate, an honor awarded to members who have made exceptional contributions to the organization. In addition to the state-level honor, he will serve as North Carolina's nominee for the national Who's Who recognition.
Huntoon recently completed his term as North Carolina FBLA Collegiate executive vice president and was selected for a scholarship and a highly competitive tech internship at the National Leadership Conference, an opportunity given to only one FBLA Collegiate member nationwide.
Kaur, who is pursuing an Associate in Arts degree and serves as Wake Tech's FBLA Collegiate president, was elected to serve as the North Carolina FBLA Collegiate president for 2025-26.
Wake Tech's chapter was recognized for having the second-largest membership in the state – its 50 members are just behind UNC-Chapel Hill – and for its contributions to the North Carolina FBLA's scholarship and general funds.
The chapter received multiple prestigious awards, including the Gold Star Award, the Legacy Leadership Award and one of three Gold Seal chapters for outstanding participation in programs, activities, conferences and goals of FBLA Collegiate.
Michele Parrish, Wake Tech's FBLA Collegiate advisor and a Network Management instructor, has been honored as a 2025 inductee into the National Advisor Wall of Fame, recognizing her 21 years of dedicated service as an advisor. She also serves as the state communications director and on the State Awards Program Committee. Keith Little, an IT Service & Support instructor, also attended as an advisor.
