Elaine Vaughan, West Plains, placed second in the Entrepreneurship Concepts contest at the Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) National Leadership Conference June 24-27 in Chicago, Ill.

Vaughan, who is a member of Missouri State University-West Plains’ (MSU-WP) PBL chapter, earned the right to compete at nationals after placing first in the state competition this past April.

“Congratulations to Elaine – first place at state and second place at nationals is a very strong performance in a very competitive event,” said Dr. Edward Birdyshaw, associate professor of economics at MSU-WP and the faculty adviser of MSU-WP’s PBL chapter.

The annual conference gives members of the student business organization a chance to attend learning sessions with industry leaders, elect a national student officer team and compete in business-related competitions.

Vaughan, who completed an Associate of Applied Science in Business-Management degree in May 2021, is now taking classes toward an Associate of Science in Business degree at MSU-WP.