June 29, 2022


Representing East Central Community College’s Theta Chi Chapter of Phi Beta Lambda at the National Leadership Conference in Chicago were (front row, from left) Adviser Lisa Lampton of Meridian, Margarita Castillo of Forest, Hannah Mowdy of Union, Perla Lopez of Sebastopol, Jennifer Hammond of Decatur, and Adviser Christy Ferguson of Philadelphia; (back row, from left) Armando Lopez of Carthage, Guillermo Espinoza Fermin of Forest, Cezar Arroyo Torres of Morton, and Janna Pinter of Philadelphia. Not pictured is Rachel Jackson of Philadelphia.

All nine East Central Community College students participating in the 2022 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference received national recognition, with some winning scholarships for their events.

Phi Beta Lambda is a national business education association for students interested in careers in business and business-related fields. It is the largest career student organization in the world. The PBL National Leadership Conference was held June 24-27 in Chicago.

In addition to individual honors, ECCC’s Theta Chi Chapter of Phi Beta Lambda was one of only two chapters in Mississippi to receive Gold Seal recognition for participating in projects and programs identified with the goals PBL and was the only chapter in Mississippi to be listed as an Outstanding Chapter.

ECCC students winning national PBL honors included:

  • Perla Lopez of Sebastopol and Hannah Mowdy of Union, First Place in Local Chapter Annual Business Report.
  • Cezar Arroyo Torres of Morton, Second Place in Digital Media.
  • Margarita Castillo of Forest and Jennifer Hammond of Decatur, Third Place in Hospitality Management.
  • Guillermo Espinoza Fermin of Forest, Janna Pinter of Philadelphia, and Torres, Third Place in Human Resource Management.
  • Rachel Jackson of Philadelphia and Armando Lopez of Carthage, Fourth Place in Financial Services.
  • Castillo, Mowdy, and Pinter, Sixth Place in Business Presentation.

Torres was recognized as Mississippi’s Who's Who in PBL. Only one student from the state of Mississippi receives this recognition.

ECCC PBL adviser Christy Ferguson of Philadelphia, business and office technology instructor, and former adviser Thomas Fortenberry of Union, who recently retired as an information systems technology instructor, were named to the PBL Adviser Wall of Fame. This honor is awarded to PBL advisors with more than 20 years of experience who have had state PBL officers, state PBL winners, national PBL winners, and hosted various Future Business Leaders of America-PBL events. Only five PBL advisers from Mississippi have ever received this recognition.

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