Growing from a dozen or so attendees to over 111 registered members, the business club Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) is the largest club on campus and demonstrates impressive accomplishments during this semester alone.
DVC PBL triumphed over 13 other UC, CSU and community colleges at the State Fall Business Leader’s Conference last month. DVC PBL won 5 out of 6 awards, including second place in the case study competition, the “Largest Chapter of California” award, the “Largest Increase in Membership” award and also the “Largest Chapter at the State Fall Business Leadership Conference” award. And this year was the first time that a DVC member won the crown for Mr. PBL.
“We also sent members, for the first time ever, to the national conference which was in Anaheim during the summer” Rheinell Malinis, PBL’s marketing co-chair of public relations, said. “Out of 11 officers, the five of them that transferred got into UC Berkeley, while the six that are remaining are still here.”
PBL is a national organization, one of the top ten organizations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Angad Padda, who was awarded Mr. PBL 2013 at the conference says that “the club fosters development.”
“I’m from a village in India. And I’m literally a nobody and in this club, I go to towns to be a somebody,” Padda said. “It feels amazing [to win Mr. PBL]. But more than anything else, it’s a feeling of gratitude. I feel indebted to my entire club, because their support was immense.”
Padda adds that “PBL is about opportunity, irrespectable from who you are and where you’re from, or what your major is.”
Regular members also express similar attitudes when describing their personal experience.
Simon Lui, business and marketing major and member of PBL says that being in the club not only helps build networks, but also helps guide you.
“Everyone is always supportive of each other,” Lui said. “If you have an endeavor you want to go towards, people will be 110% supporting you the whole way through.”
Francia Morah, who joined the club this semester expressed the learning process to being a part of a large club.
“The main thing I learned would be to be more outspoken and network,” Morah said. “I’m a little bit shy and I’m not quite there, but I’m working on it and I think it’s something I’m learning. “The fact that the club is very big does make it a little bit less personal. But it is, at the same time, a good thing because there is a lot of people to meet. It’ll take time to know these people, that’s the thing.”
Kyle Nguyen, the President of PBL expresses his gratitude to his members and shares his future plans.
“I plan to take DVC PBL to the next level in the spring with innovative workshops and programs that aim to develop practical skills like leadership, communication, professionalism and teamwork,” Nguyen said. “I have an amazingly talented and diverse executive board this semester, so you can bet that next semester will be just as successful as this one.”