Two Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) students were finalists in their competitions at the 2026 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Collegiate National Leadership Conference, held June 6-8 in Las Vegas.
Eight GNTC students competed in a total of 11 competitions at the national FBLA competition. Jared Weaver, who studies Architectural and Engineering Drawing Technology at GNTC’s Whitfield Murray Campus, placed third in Customer Service. Ashley Weaver placed ninth in Foundations of Entrepreneurship; she graduated last month with an associate degree in Accounting. The Weavers are married and live in Chatsworth, with their daughter, Emily Standridge, who also competed at the national conference.
“I am so proud of all of these students and all of the instructors that have played a role in their education,” said Mark Upton, GNTC’s Marketing Management program director and FBLA coordinator. “They all competed strongly and represented GNTC well.”
In addition to their outstanding performance, the competitors took advantage of the opportunities to attend workshops, network and learn as much as they could, Upton said.
To be eligible to compete in the national competition, the students qualified at the state competition, where students from across Georgia gathered for leadership development sessions, as well as performance-based and written competitions. The state competition was held in March in Atlanta.
Listed below are the other competitors representing GNTC at the national conference showing (from left) the student’s name, competition, program, campus and hometown. Team competitions are listed with the competition name first:
Ashley Downs, Foundations of Hospitality Management and Retail Management, Radiologic Technology, Floyd County Campus, Adairsville
Alisha Moss, Project Management, Healthcare Billing, Floyd County Campus, Cartersville
Janie Ruiz, Project Management, Business Management, Floyd County Campus, Rome
Emily Standridge, Foundations of Management, Business Healthcare Technology, Whitfield Murray Campus, Chatsworth
Ashley Weaver, Foundations of Hospitality Management, Accounting, Whitfield Murray Campus, Chatsworth
Carmen Webb, Foundations of Accounting and Supply Chain Management, Healthcare Management, Whitfield Murray Campus, Rocky Face
Community Service Project: Alisha Moss, Healthcare Billing, Floyd County Campus, Cartersville; Janie Ruiz, Business Management, Floyd County Campus, Rome; Ashley Weaver, Accounting, Whitfield Murray Campus, Chatsworth
GNTC’s Community Service Project team advanced to the finals in that competition, Upton said.
“The level of involvement from all students was exceptional,” said Trish Wiggins, director of Student Engagement at GNTC. “Every one of these students is going to continue to represent GNTC beyond the campus into the workforce.”
Future Business Leaders of America is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education association helping more than 230,000 students to prepare for careers in business and business-related fields. FBLA is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, and organized on local, state and national levels. Georgia Northwestern Technical College delivers high-quality workforce education to the citizens of northwest Georgia. Students can pursue associate degrees, diplomas and certificates in a wide range of career pathways, including aviation, business, health, industrial and public service. Over the past year, 14,082 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. The college has an annual credit enrollment of 9,342 students and achieved a 100 percent placement rate. An additional 4,740 individuals are served through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training and Georgia Quick Start® programs.