Emira Sayeed of Palm Harbor University High School won the national championship in Business Communication at the 2026 Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference, held June 29 through July 2 in San Antonio.
Sayeed earned first place after qualifying for the national competition with a top-four finish at the state conference. The annual FBLA National Leadership Conference attracts more than 13,000 attendees, with students competing in a wide range of business and career-focused events.
Pinellas students earn multiple top finishes
Sayeed was one of two Pinellas County students to win national titles.
Madeleine Harrison of Fitzgerald Middle School captured first place in Exploring Customer Service, giving Pinellas County two national champions at the conference.
FBLA is the world's largest business career and technical student organization, with more than 230,000 members in middle school, high school and college programs.
Several other Pinellas County students also placed among the nation's top 10, according to Pinellas County Schools:
- Joel Prifti, East Lake Middle School: fourth place, Exploring Business Concepts
- Andre Browne, East Lake High School: sixth place, Real Estate
- Justin Lam, Carwise Middle School in Palm Harbor: eighth place, Exploring Computer Science
- Anderson Dell and Jake Hamilton, St. Petersburg High School: sixth place, Hospitality & Event Management
District announced results July 9
Pinellas County Schools announced the results July 9.
The district's announcement did not include comments from Sayeed or school officials, and the Beacon was unable to reach Sayeed or her advisers for comment.
Sayeed and Lam, who attends Carwise Middle School, were the North Pinellas students to earn top-10 finishes at the national conference.
