Clarkesville, GA – North Georgia Technical College (NGTC) Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members recently earned top honors during the 2025 FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference held in Dallas, Texas. The NGTC FBLA Chapter received two national awards as well as the National Hollis and Kitty Guy Gold Seal Chapter Award of Merit.
Renee Petenbrink of Toccoa, Ga., Kiley Snelgrove of Lavonia, Ga., and Adrionna Spencer of Blairsville, Ga. claimed sixth place in the State of the Chapter presentations, while Snelgrove also earned tenth place in the Computer Applications competition.
Mona Williams was recognized as Georgia FBLA Collegiate Executive Director, and the Georgia FBLA Collegiate Chapter won first place for Alzheimer’s Fundraising.
During the 2025 FBLA Collegiate State Leadership Conference held in Atlanta earlier this year, the NGTC FBLA Chapter received a total of 18 individual, team, or chapter awards with all seven students qualifying for nationals.
Karen Hicks of Blue Ridge, Ga. claimed first place in the Emerging Business Issues competition, while Snelgrove and Petenbrink placed second in Business Communications and Foundations of Accounting, respectively.
Third place winners included Petenbrink in the Business Presentation competition; Snelgrove in Computer Applications; Spencer in the Future Business Executive competition; Zoe Fitzgerald of Blairsville, Ga. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership and Parliamentary Procedure; Michael Ramirez of Alto, Ga. in the Project Management Competition; and Petenbrink, Snelgrove, and Spencer in State of the Chapter presentations.
Daisy Paramo of Alto, Ga. placed fourth in Parliamentary Procedure and fifth in Foundations of Accounting, while Hicks placed fifth in Foundations of Communication. Ramirez also placed sixth in Foundations of Entrepreneurship.
The NGTC FBLA Chapter also received the Platinum Chapter Award of Merit and first place for Alzheimer’s Fundraising. Hicks received the Who’s Who in Georgia FBLA Collegiate Award, while Snelgrove received the Wings of Excellence Award.
NGTC FBLA advisers are Mona Williams, business technology instructor, and Angela Banks, business technology instructor.
“On behalf of North Georgia Technical College, we are incredibly proud of our outstanding students and dedicated advisers who represented the college at the FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference,” said Stephanie Benson, NGTC vice president of academic affairs. “Attending nationals is a remarkable achievement, and we celebrate their success and the positive impact they continue to have on our campus and community.”
“We are very proud of our students for their hard work and dedication not only as individuals but also as a team,” said Mona Williams, NGTC FBLA adviser and business technology instructor. “These students stepped outside their comfort zones and competed nationally against some of the brightest future business leaders in the country. While each of them excel in different areas, it is evident that they are all team players and take pride in their performances. We look forward to watching them grow and succeed in the business world.”
FBLA is the largest business career and technical student organization in the world, with more than 230,000 members. For more information regarding North Georgia Technical College programs, admission, or student organizations, visit northgatech.edu or call 706-754-7700.
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