Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Two students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Nelson Rusche College of Business earned top honors at the collegiate Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference, which hosted an estimated 1,100 FBLA members last month in Dallas.
Jessica Frasier, president of SFA’s FBLA chapter and general business senior from Bay City, earned fifth place in the Finance Case Competition, and Julian Ieva, treasurer of SFA’s FBLA chapter and accounting senior from Houston, earned first place in the Foundations of Finance Competition.
The topic for the Finance Case Competition was a subject Frasier said she was already passionate and knowledgeable about: healthy eating on a budget.
“So to prepare, I spent the majority of the time researching specific sources to back up my claims,” Frasier said. “Then I gave the presentation to anyone who would listen, from doing it in the mirror to showing it to my roommates for feedback.”
Frasier tries not to overdo the rehearsing on competition day, though.
“It's always important to prepare yourself in the few hours before you compete,” she said. “But don't over-rehearse the morning of. Take a deep breath and be confident in yourself.”
Instead of preparing for the Foundations of Finance test by studying, Ieva’s secret to competition success was teaching the content to someone else.
“I tutored someone in finance all spring, which kept the material fresh and really helped reinforce the fundamentals,” he said. “Explaining the concepts over and over ended up being the best kind of prep without me even realizing it.”
As faculty advisor for SFA’s FBLA chapter, Dr. Marice Kelly attends nearly all of the organization’s regular meetings and knows how much work Frasier and Ieva have put into preparing for these competitions.
“Jessica’s and Julian's recent FBLA NLC wins show their dedication and drive to succeed,” said Kelly, assistant professor of business communication and legal studies at SFA. “They both were finalists, meaning they were in the top 10 in each competition. This was their second time attending FBLA NLC, and they came prepared to win.”
Frasier and Ieva will both graduate in December 2025. Kelly said she’s one of many who will miss them when they leave SFA to pursue their careers in financial advising and accounting, respectively.
“Jessica and Julian have been faithful FBLA officers for two years,” she said. “Their ideas have helped this student organization thrive, and I will miss them. “
For more information on SFA’s FBLA student chapter, visit sfasu.edu/bcls.