Eight Pinellas County Schools students earned national awards at the 2026 Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference, with two claiming first-place finishes against competitors from across the country.
Emira Sayeed of Palm Harbor University High School won first place in Business Communication, and Madeleine Harrison of Fitzgerald Middle School took the top spot in Exploring Customer Service. The conference ran Monday, June 29, through Thursday, July 2, in San Antonio, Texas.
Six more Pinellas students, competing in four events, placed in the national top 10:
- Fourth place: Joel Prifti, East Lake Middle School, Exploring Business Concepts
- Sixth place: Anderson Dell and Jake Hamilton, St. Petersburg High School, Hospitality & Event Management
- Sixth place: Andre Browne, East Lake High School, Real Estate
- Eighth place: Justin Lam, Carwise Middle School in Palm Harbor, Exploring Computer Science
To reach the national stage, students must first finish in the top four at their state-level competition, according to FBLA. The national conference draws students from all 50 states for events testing skills in finance, marketing, technology, and management.
The eight award-winners represent six different Pinellas schools spanning middle and high school levels. Carwise Middle, East Lake Middle, and Palm Harbor University High are all in the Palm Harbor area north of Clearwater.
The district announced the results Thursday, July 9, through its newsroom. The Clearwater Sentinel has requested additional comment from the district and FBLA chapter advisers.
The 2027 FBLA National Leadership Conference is scheduled for June 23–26 in Columbus, Ohio. Students interested in competing will need to qualify through their school's FBLA chapter and the state conference earlier in the school year.
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