/news-archive/tag/shibani-lal/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Fri, 15 May 2020 13:16:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2020/05/15/blake-hughes-commencement/ Fri, 15 May 2020 13:16:24 +0000 /news/?p=76895 ... Graduating Student Spotlight: Blake Hughes]]> Tell us a little bit about yourself. I鈥檓 from Bryant, Arkansas, and took college courses while attending high school. Fortunately, these courses were transferrable and allowed me to complete my bachelor鈥檚 degree at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in just three years. While in high school, I won a statewide competition, AYAA, with one of my pieces. I love outdoorsy things such as hiking, camping, and lounging in a hammock. Also, I have a deep interest in astronomy and have my own telescope so I can look at the stars. Why did you choose 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock? At first, I considered majoring in astronomy and looked at Henderson State University and the University of Central Arkansas. But, when I decided to major in marketing, I chose 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock because they have a great business program. Also, it was convenient for me because it鈥檚 only 15 minutes away from Bryant. Little Rock suited me because it鈥檚 the state capital and the center of business. Why did you choose marketing and advertising as your major? During high school, I worked part-time at an American Eagle outlet store and learned how to merchandise. I positioned items in the entire store all by myself (without a plan) by taking themes and layouts from the company鈥檚 other stores. Merchandising and marketing interest me because they blend art and business. Did you participate in any extracurricular activities while in college? A good friend of mine encouraged me to join the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) junior board, and from there we created a club on campus. I have struggled with depression and anxiety, and losing one of my good friends to suicide was a wake-up call for me. ASFP鈥檚 mission is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. We organized an 鈥淥ut of the Darkness鈥� walk on campus and got sponsors to raise money. Most of the money raised goes to research, education, and advocacy programs, and only 17% goes to the home office. I also joined Phi Beta Lambda (the collegiate division of FBLA), where you can build a portfolio of documented accomplishments before you enter the job market. I placed first in the state for the marketing concepts exam. Who were some of your mentors? Dr. Casey Rockwell, who taught a business law class, was such an inspiration and recognized the drive in me. Shibani Lal was a peer mentor at CLC and a fellow business major. She helped me select classes, navigate my college career, and was a great listener. How do you relieve stress? I love taking my textbooks and reading outside. We are so fortunate to live in Arkansas where so much nature and beauty is only 10 minutes away. One of my favorite places is Two Rivers Park in Little Rock. When I came home to Bryant due to the COVID-19 crisis, it was stressful because I couldn鈥檛 go outside as much. What do you plan to do after graduation? It鈥檚 hard, because I鈥檓 a planner, and now we are in a recession, so it鈥檚 going to be tough to get a job. I would like to start my own advertising and consulting firm where I could help small businesses. The sales certificate has helped me sell myself. Many of these small businesses have not even registered with Google My Business, so they can respond to customer inquiries. Eventually, I would like to get my MBA, but I want to get some experience first. During my business law class, I noticed the students who had work experience understood how contracts work due to their life experience. What advice would you give to an incoming student? Find a study buddy. Having study buddies provide mental and emotional support. Also, try to be outgoing in classes and don鈥檛 be afraid to talk to your professors. Sit close to the front and ask questions. Also, professors usually call on people who sit in the back with the first question. This story was compiled by Toni Boyer-Stewart.]]> /news-archive/2020/05/11/ua-little-rock-students-win-first-place-at-phi-beta-lambda-2020-arkansas-state-leadership-conference/ Mon, 11 May 2020 12:25:52 +0000 /news/?p=76813 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students win first place at Phi Beta Lambda 2020 Arkansas State Leadership Conference]]> College of Business students won first place awards at the Phi Beta Lambda 2020 Arkansas State Leadership Conference held in North Little Rock April 3-4. Pynshailang Nongsiej, a graduate student majoring in business information systems from Shillong, India, and president of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Phi Beta Lambda chapter, was awarded first place in computer animation. Shibani Lal, a senior business analytics and human resources management major from Little Rock and vice president of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Phi Beta Lambda, was awarded first place in the categories of Job Interview and Who鈥檚 Who in Phi Beta Lambda. Nongsiej and Lal also competed together in a group business presentation competition and won first place. Blake Hughes, a senior marketing major from Bryant and member of Phi Beta Lambda, won first place in marketing concepts. As top winners in the regional competition, Nongsiej, Lal, and Hughes will be representing the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Phi Beta Lambda chapter at the National Leadership Conference to be held virtually June 24-27. Lal will also be representing Arkansas for Who鈥檚 Who in Phi Beta Lambda at the . Who鈥檚 Who in Phi Beta Lambda is an exemplary honor that is awarded to members who have made outstanding contributions to the organization at the local, state, and national levels. Only one winner is selected from each state to represent at the National Leadership Conference. Lal was previously recognized in 2019 as a Forbes Under 30 Scholar for her social media and marketing skills. 鈥淧articipation in FBLA~PBL has been a life changing experience for me,鈥� Lal said. 鈥淧hi Beta Lambda has provided opportunities for me to connect with business professionals from across the nation. It has helped me learn to think outside the box and grow as a business professional. Competitive events and activities have also helped to enhance my leadership skills.鈥� Phi Beta Lambda is a collegiate version of Future Business Leaders of America, which prepares its members for the workforce and career development. Phi Beta Lambda provides students with numerous opportunities to apply business skills to real-world scenarios. The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Phi Beta Lambda chapter aims to be the premier student leadership organization in the State of Arkansas, with a mission of inspiring and preparing students to become community-minded leaders.]]> /news-archive/2020/04/07/ua-little-rock-teams-governors-cup-finals/ Tue, 07 Apr 2020 17:15:11 +0000 /news/?p=76578 ... Three 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock teams competing in Arkansas Governor鈥檚 Cup finals]]> Winners will be announced Thursday, April 9, during a virtual awards program launching at noon. Members of CloudCare, who are competing in the undergraduate division, include Claire Herman, Philip Plouch, and Justin Priest. Designed to bring parents peace of mind, CloudCare is a smart baby monitoring app that works alongside the parent by generating real-time push notifications based on a baby鈥檚 movements and breathing patterns. The Face-to-Face team consists of Joseph Kready and Thomas Marcoux, who are competing in the graduate and innovation divisions. Face-To-Face is an innovative technology that creates Avatar-based chatbots that replace existing text-based chat bot solutions. 鈥淲ith avatars, we can display emotion during the conversation at a level that’s never been done before,鈥� Kready said. The third team, SYMPER, includes Cole Evans, Shibani Lal, Trigun Maroo, Pynshailang Nongsiej, and Shishila Shimray. They will be competing in the graduate and innovation divisions. SYMPER is the first three-in-one, sit-stand-sleep electric wheelchair product with advanced technological innovations to improve health monitoring. 鈥淪YMPER, as a product, can notify and alert its user鈥檚 emergency contacts via a mobile application installed on the user’s phone and enable hospitals to maximize space by reducing the number of beds,鈥� said Nongsiej. Fifty students representing 18 teams from eight Arkansas universities made virtual presentations to nearly 30 judges during the final round of the 20th annual Arkansas Governor鈥檚 Cup competition. Martial Trigeaud, a 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock adjunct professor in the College of Business who is mentoring the three 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock teams, said one of the biggest challenges for this year鈥檚 competition was the quick switch to virtual presentations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 鈥淚 am very proud of all of our teams and think they have a great chance of winning the Arkansas Governor鈥檚 Cup,鈥� Trigeaud said. 鈥淭he main challenge with this year鈥檚 competition was to switch to an online presentation weeks before the presentation There is a big difference between giving an online and a face-to-face presentation. The students worked very hard to deliver a great presentation. On the plus side, we were able to record ourselves, watch our presentation beforehand, and get feedback.鈥� The distribution of the Governor鈥檚 Cup $154,000 cash prize pool includes $25,000 to the winners of the graduate and undergraduate divisions, $15,000 to the second place winners in both divisions, and $10,000 for both third place winners. Faculty advisors for all six winning teams each receive $2,000 in cash. For the Innovation Division, a winning team is chosen in both the graduate and undergraduate divisions. Each team will receive a $5,000 cash prize. The competition does not require teams to launch their businesses; instead, they are rewarded for the rigorous and real-world experience they gain as competitors. They are also exposed to the state鈥檚 rich entrepreneurial history and discover the opportunities Arkansas has to offer to entrepreneurs who want to start businesses in the state. 鈥淭hanks to videoconferencing technologies and the flexibility of everyone involved in this process, we鈥檝e been able to pull off this competition in the midst of a world turned upside down,鈥� said Rush Deacon, CEO of Arkansas Capital Corporation, which manages the Arkansas Governor鈥檚 Cup. 鈥淚 encourage everyone to log in to the Arkansas Governor鈥檚 Cup website at the appointed hour, where you鈥檒l find a link to the live awards presentation.鈥� While many business and entrepreneurial competitions around the country have been canceled, Trigeaud is grateful his students have the invaluable experience of participating in the Arkansas Governor鈥檚 Cup. 鈥淎rkansas could have just canceled the competition, but they worked very hard to put the event on,鈥� Trigeaud said. 鈥淲e applied to other entrepreneurial pitch competitions, but they were just canceled. I think it鈥檚 great that the Arkansas Governor鈥檚 Cup was put online and was still able to provide the students a great business competition experience.鈥漖]> /news-archive/2019/10/25/business-students-feed-homeless/ Fri, 25 Oct 2019 13:14:33 +0000 /news/?p=75487 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock business students volunteer to feed the homeless]]> Members of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Phi Beta Lambda club had the opportunity to give back to the community by helping to feed the homeless at the Little Rock Compassion Center, an inner-city mission.听 Phi Beta Lambda members Chiquita Allen, Makayla Corbitt, Jessalyn Jackson, Shibani Lal, Pynshailang Nongsiej, and Hitaxi Patel volunteered at a dinner that fed more than 200 homeless people living in Little Rock Sept. 29.听 鈥淭he main goal was to feed the homeless individuals and bring a smile on their faces,” said Lal, a senior and vice president of Phi Beta Lambda. 鈥淭his event and partnerships with different organizations helped the College of Business students get connected to different alliances in the heart of Little Rock and be able to support such a great cause.鈥�听 The volunteers helped with everything from grocery shopping, cooking more than 10 dishes, and serving dinner to community members.听 鈥淭heir dedication through this opportunity ensured their hard work brought massive success,” said Pynshailang Nongsiej, president of Phi Beta Lambda. 鈥淭he goal was to strive to do better, not only for ourselves, but to better the people and communities around us.鈥�听 Phi Beta Lambda members worked with William and Rosemary Holloway, co-founders of the Little Rock Compassion Center, Nestor Martinez from Phi lota Alpha fraternity, and Faysal Ahmed, a member of Little Rock鈥檚 Bengali community.听 鈥淲e like doing this because it helps us come together and do something for the people who need it,鈥� Ahmed said.听 Phi Beta Lambda is a business leadership organization which prepares college students to become future business leaders of America by providing numerous leadership and networking opportunities. The organization prepares students to become career ready after college and stay connected with the community.]]> /news-archive/2019/10/15/forbes-under-30-scholar/ Tue, 15 Oct 2019 13:00:17 +0000 /news/?p=75377 ... Business student selected for Forbes Under 30 Scholar Program]]> A University of Arkansas at Little Rock business student has been selected for the Forbes Under 30 Scholar Summit.听 Shibani Lal, who will graduate in May 2020, is looking forward to the conference to gain advice and investors for her future startup business.听 鈥淚 want to start my own marketing business where I can help businesses grow professionally and target more platforms through social media and digital marketing,鈥� Lal said. 鈥淢arketing is the foundation of business.鈥�听 Characterized by Forbes as the 鈥渨orld鈥檚 greatest event for young leaders, founders, investors, and creators,鈥� the Forbes Under 30 Summit will take place Oct. 27-30 in Detroit. Forbes partners with schools and organizations across the U.S. to provide an opportunity for underrepresented college students to attend the summit.听 Winners of the Forbes Under 30 Scholar program get free access to the summit and the chance to participate in networking opportunities. Students can also meet investors, entrepreneurs, celebrities, musicians, fashion designers, sports stars, cultural icons, world-renowned chefs, educators, political leaders, and business icons. The summit also features a music festival, investor speed-pitching, industry-focused field trips, a pub crawl, a food festival, and a community service day.听 Lal got a start in marketing at her family restaurant in Little Rock, Star of India, where she leads the marketing, communications, and advertising efforts.听 鈥淚 started off in management, but I liked the marketing aspect better,鈥� Lal said. 鈥淚 have started my portfolio by promoting restaurants on social media, and that has inspired me to stay in marketing. Now, I mentor people on the marketing team,鈥� Lal said.听 At 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Lal put her social media and marketing skills to work by creating online recruitment strategies for Phi Beta Lambda, the college division of Future Business Leaders of America. Lal and fellow student, Bhavya Patel, finished in the Top 10 in a national social media challenge for Phi Beta Lambda in 2018. During the 2017-18 academic year, membership in Phi Beta Lambda at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock increased by more than 150 percent, the highest increase in the state of Arkansas.听 During the Phi Beta Lambda conference, a recruiter from a contractor company approached Lal with the opportunity to complete an internship as a brand ambassador for Amazon on 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 campus. The internship came with a paid trip to visit Amazon鈥檚 headquarters in Seattle, where Lal learned important skills.听 鈥淓veryone who was offered an internship with Amazon was invited to Seattle to learn more about digital marketing, how to target more audiences, and promote through social media handles and word of mouth,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 learned how to do marketing very efficiently, and I was able to increase the revenue in my family鈥檚 business very quickly.鈥�听 Lal learned about the Forbes Under 30 Scholar program while serving as an Amazon Prime student ambassador during the 2018-19 academic year. She knew the conference would be a perfect fit for her.听 鈥淚 will be able to meet investors and business professionals from across the globe so I can share my ideas and get feedback on how I can start my own business as an entrepreneur,鈥� Lal said. 鈥淭hey have speed dating with investors, resume builders, and pitch competitions, all so I can gain a better understanding of how to be a successful entrepreneur.鈥�听 Lal is grateful for professors, classes, and extracurricular activities in Little Rock that have played an important role in her professional development.听 鈥淚 have applied what I have learned from classes to real-world experiences,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have participated in competitions and conferences that have given me a better understanding of how to open up my own business.鈥�]]> /news-archive/2019/03/06/southwest-bap-winners/ Wed, 06 Mar 2019 16:23:42 +0000 /news/?p=73636 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students place second in Southwest BAP conference competition]]> Three University of Arkansas at Little Rock students took second place at the annual Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) regional meeting in Dallas on Feb. 23. Senior accounting major James Hubbard from Wabbaseka, junior business major Shibani Lal from Little Rock, and senior accounting major Joseph Griffith from Benton competed in the conference鈥檚 鈥淏est Practices鈥� competition, during which they presented about 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 鈥淩eality Fair鈥� financial literacy workshop. 鈥淔or the Reality Fair workshop, we let participants choose their career and family goals, and make housing, transportation, communication, entertainment, giving, and saving decisions.鈥� explained Cynthia Johnson, accounting instructor and Beta Alpha Psi faculty co-advisor. 鈥淭hey then spin the 鈥榳heel of life鈥� to see what random event, representing real life happens to them. If they are not living within their budget, they must go back and change earlier decisions until they can live within their means. It鈥檚 quite an eye-opener!鈥� Nine students in total attended the conference, hosted jointly in Dallas by 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and the University of Central Arkansas. Christina Gu, Jessalyn Jackson, Sean Corrothers, Daniel Nwachuku, Hitaxiben Patel, and Jay Patel, along with the winners of the competition, met with Beta Alpha Psi members from colleges and universities across the region to discuss the latest topics in accounting, finance, and information systems. Gu, Jackson, and Patel also took part in a non-judged discussion with other Beta Alpha Psi chapters where they discussed workforce readiness among their members. Johnson could not be more proud of how her students fared. 鈥淭hey all stepped up and were ready and able to do above what was required of them. Their attitude was amazing and they helped give our school a great reputation,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淲e hope to take the Reality Fair workshop on the road to area high schools and youth events.鈥�]]> /news-archive/2018/08/21/national-social-media-challenge/ Tue, 21 Aug 2018 14:30:53 +0000 /news/?p=71452 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students place in Top 10 in national social media challenge]]> Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock students finished in the Top 10 in a national social media challenge for Phi Beta Lambda, the college division of Future Business Leaders of America.听 Shibani Lal, marketing major, and Bhavya Patel, business and biology major, placed in the Top 10 for their project dedicated to creating strategies for recruiting Phi Beta Lambda members through various social media platforms. For the social media challenge, Lal and Patel had to create a social media campaign that markets and shows how Phi Beta Lambda is an organization that benefits students from a variety of majors using at least three sources of social media. During the 2017-18 academic year, membership in Phi Beta Lambda at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock increased by more than 150 percent, the highest increase in the state of Arkansas. Lal and Patel placed first during Arkansas鈥檚 Phi Beta Lambda competition held April 6-7 in Little Rock. They placed 10th in the national competition, held June 23-27 in Baltimore. 鈥淭hrough constant social media posts about Phi Beta Lambda鈥檚 volunteer activities and events, we want everyone to know there are many benefits to joining Phi Beta Lambda, such as volunteering with members in our community, attending events on campus, and off campus company tours,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great way for members to experience the culture of Phi Beta Lambda and learn about potential careers. Phi Beta Lambda is a club where you learn about leadership, community involvement, and professionalism.鈥� Deepali Lal, 2017-18 president of Phi Beta Lambda, Sarah Clements, faculty advisor to Phi Beta Lambda, Cliff Haney, assistant to the Marketing and Advertising Department, and Dr. Lenita Davis, chair of the Marketing and Advertising Department, assisted Lal and Patel with their project. In the upper right photo, Shibani Lal, marketing major, was one of two students who placed in the Top 10 for their project dedicated to creating strategies for recruiting Phi Beta Lambda members through various social media platforms.]]>