Clarkesville, GA – North Georgia Technical College (NGTC) Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members recently earned top honors at the 2026 FBLA National Leadership Conference (NLC) held in Las Vegas.
The NGTC FBLA Chapter received the esteemed National Hollis and Kitty Guy Gold Seal Chapter Award of Merit as well as the Outstanding Chapter award, recognizing their exceptional performance, dedication, and leadership throughout the year.
Kya Smith of Hiawassee, Ga., claimed sixth place in the Foundations of Digital Design competition. The FBLA Collegiate Award of Excellence is presented to members who demonstrate exceptional dedication to personal and professional growth through active participation in FBLA programs and leadership activities. Kiley Snelgrove of Lavonia, Ga., earned a bronze level Award of Excellence with 155 points.
Mona Williams, NGTC Business Management instructor, was recognized as the Georgia FBLA Collegiate Adviser of the Year and the Georgia FBLA Collegiate Executive Director. Additionally, the Georgia FBLA Collegiate Chapter was recognized for their donations to the Alzheimer’s Association.
During the 2026 FBLA Collegiate State Leadership Conference (SLC) held in Atlanta earlier this year, the NGTC FBLA Chapter received a total of 27 individual, team, or chapter awards with all nine students placing in their respective competitions and eight of those individuals qualifying for nationals.
First place winners included Smith in the Customer Service and Foundations of Digital Design competitions; Seth Hurley of Young Harris, Ga., in Foundations of Finance; and Daisy Paramo of Alto, Ga., in Foundations of Accounting. Second place honors included Snelgrove in Business Communications; Hurley in Foundations of Economics; Brianna Contreras of Cornelia, Ga., in Foundations of Selling; Zoe Fitzgerald of Blairsville, Ga., in Organizational Behavior and Leadership; and Michael Ramirez of Alto, Ga., in International Business.
Third place winners included Snelgrove in Computer Applications and Grace Swafford of Toccoa, Ga., in the Future Business Executive competition. Placing fourth were Fitzgerald in Parliamentary Procedure; Ramirez in Retail Management; and Paramo, Smith, and Snelgrove in the State of the Chapter Presentation. Fifth place winners included Swafford in the Entrepreneurship Pitch competition; Swafford and Contreras in the Community Service Project; Paramo in Foundations of Economics; and Lucia Trujillo-Limas of Commerce, Ga., in Business Presentations.
The NGTC FBLA Chapter also received the Platinum Chapter Award of Merit and first place for Alzheimer’s fundraising. Williams was recognized as the Georgia Collegiate Adviser of the Year for her exceptional commitment to student achievement. Snelgrove received the Who’s Who in Georgia FBLA Collegiate Award, while Contreras; Hurley; Smith; Swafford; and Snelgrove received Wings of Excellence Awards. Swafford was also elected to serve as a Georgia FBLA Collegiate state officer.
NGTC FBLA advisers are Mona Williams and Angela Banks, NGTC Business Technology instructor.
“North Georgia Technical College would like to congratulate our FBLA students and advisers on their tremendous success during the 2026 FBLA National Leadership Conference,” said NGTC President John Wilkinson. “NGTC’s FBLA Chapter is dedicated to achieving excellence while promoting leadership, teamwork, and professionalism. We are proud to have such outstanding individuals representing our college and community.”
“On behalf of myself and Angela, we are proud to serve as the NGTC FBLA advisers and continue to be amazed by our students’ knowledge, skills, professionalism, and dedication to success,” said Mona Williams, NGTC FBLA adviser and Business Management instructor. “While each of these students excel in different areas, it is tremendous to witness them applying their skillsets and working together as a team. We look forward to witnessing their continued success!”
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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