Scranton Students Win 4 State Titles at FBLA Conference

Students from the University of Scranton are celebrating their strongest showing yet at a statewide business competition, bringing home four state championships and 16 total placements.

The wins came at the Future Business Leaders of America State Leadership Conference held March 27-28 in Harrisburg. Finance major Gary Mrozinski from Taylor led the charge with two state titles in finance case competition and foundations of economics.

Joseph Kulikowski, studying business analytics and finance, took first place in supply chain management. Joseph Walas, a double major in accounting and finance, won the state championship in foundations of economics and placed second in foundations of finance.

The team's advisor, Professor David Mahalak, called it the greatest state championship performance in Scranton's FBLA history. Last year, the university placed in just eight events with one state champion. This year they doubled their reach.

Five students finished as runners-up in their events. Megan Cosklo placed second in foundations of management, while Kaeli Romanowski earned second in foundations of marketing. Lillian Stein, studying cybercrime and homeland security, took second in computer applications.

The success continues a winning streak for Scranton's FBLA chapter. At last year's national conference, two students won national titles.

The Ripple Effect

The victories reflect more than individual achievement. They show how universities outside traditional business school powerhouses can compete at the highest levels when students get the right support and opportunities.

Several state champions will compete at the FBLA Collegiate National Leadership Conference in Las Vegas from June 6-8. They'll join 230,000 middle school, high school, and college FBLA members nationwide who use the organization to build careers in business.

For a university team that's grown from one state champion last year to four this year, the momentum points in one direction: up.