La Grande FBLA students earn top finishes, three named state officers

La Grande High School FBLA turned Eugene into a showcase for Union County leadership, with Delaney Klinger named the next Oregon FBLA state president and Dora Koltuv and Aubry Hammer elected to the 2026-2027 state officer team.

The results went well beyond the three officer seats. La Grande students recorded numerous top-10 finishes at the Oregon FBLA State Business Leadership Conference, held April 9-11 at The Graduate Hotel Eugene, and several qualified for national competition. Oregon FBLA says top performers at the state conference advance to the National Leadership Conference, putting the La Grande chapter in position to carry its work beyond Oregon.

The strongest showings were spread across a wide range of events, a sign that the program is building skills in more than one lane. La Grande students won first place in Intro to Business Procedures, Networking Infrastructures and Public Service Announcement. They took second in Customer Service and Intro to Social Media Strategies, and third in Future Business Educator and Impromptu Speaking. The chapter also placed fourth in Business Plan, Data Analysis and Public Administration & Management, with additional top-10 finishes in banking, business communications, entrepreneurship, financial planning, hospitality and event management, insurance, real estate and career portfolio events.

That breadth matters in a rural county where school programs often function as one of the clearest bridges to college, career and local hiring. FBLA competitive events are designed to recognize achievement in business and career-related areas while building career, academic and leadership development, and La Grande’s showing suggests students are gaining practical experience in public speaking, finance, management and professional communication before graduation.

Mark Carollo, one of the chapter’s advisers, helped explain the team’s performance and the importance of the statewide recognition. La Grande FBLA says the chapter has about 62 active members and is based at La Grande High School in the Blue Mountain Region, led by Carollo and Larissa Prosch. For a chapter that size, three state officers and a long list of high placements signal a program with depth, not just a single standout student or event.

Oregon FBLA elects its state officers through voting delegates from local chapters, and those officers serve one-year terms during their high school years. For Union County, Klinger’s move into the state presidency gives La Grande a visible voice in Oregon’s business leadership pipeline, while the chapter’s broader results show that the next generation is already building the skills employers value most.