Montgomery County Community College Business Administration graduate Sloane Harker, ’26, traveled to Las Vegas for the Future Business Leaders of America Collegiate National Leadership Conference competitive events. Photo by Eric Devlin
Sloane Harker completed an Associate of Science degree in Business Administration from Montgomery County Community College. Now she’s used the very skills in business she learned at the College to the compete on a national stage in Las Vegas.
Harker, 25, of Harleysville, along with three other students, participated in the Future Business Leaders of America Collegiate National Leadership Conference competitive events June 6-8.
“I’m very excited. I’ve been a few times,” she said leading up to the conference.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun. To have our entire competing team go to be sent by
Montco is amazing. I’m very excited to experience that. To really take advantage of
resources and opportunities. All of that is very exciting.”
Harker, who previously served as vice president and then president of MCCC’s Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) chapter of the FBLA, said she was ready for Las Vegas thanks to the preparation she received as a student at the College.
Prepared to Achieve
Harker’s tenure at MCCC started while still in high school taking courses as a High School Dual Enrollment student.
Following a significant life transition, she reevaluated her goals while taking time off to work. She decided to enroll at MCCC in the spring of 2024 as an Environmental Studies major, before switching to Business Administration.
“My experience at Montco was a completely different from what I was expecting,” she
said. “When I decided to come back to school, Montco was supposed to be a short steppingstone.
I was planning on staying here for a semester or two at most, while I decided what
I wanted to do. So, I was planning on only being here for a little bit.”
After her first in-person semester, though, she realized the College could be a place to help her decide what she wanted to do with her life.
“It made me realize that, oh, this could be a place where I could discover my passions,” she said. “I don’t need to rush out of here, and over time, that feeling cemented even more.”
She said she fell in love with the business classes at the College and Management Assistant Professor Damon Gray encouraged her to join PBL, where he serves as the club’s mentor. She discovered a passion for the club and the work its members do, including state and national conferences and competitions. Those competitions allowed her to make connections that can help her in her future career as an accountant.
In 2025, she placed second in the FBLA state competition in Organizational Behavior and Leadership competition and third in the Management Case competition. She and teammate Emilio Siguenza advanced individually to the finalist round of 12 in Dallas, achieving national distinction. Harker placed ninth nationally in the Organizational Behavior and Leadership competition. In 2026, she took first place in the Foundations of Accounting competition and fourth place in the Accounting Case competition in Harrisburg, punching her individual ticket to Las Vegas.
Harker credits working with Accounting Instructor Pamela Kuperstein for helping her really understand the material she’d be tested on in the competitions.
“It was in her class that she introduced me to the world of accounting and encouraged me to explore it as a professional path,” said Harker. “She also recommended me for many professional opportunities, including representing the College as a panelist at a Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants conference. That experience really highlights the doors that Montco has opened for me.”
Harker served as a supplemental instructor for students who were taking Kuperstein’s classes. Through tutoring other students, she found herself teaching the very material she needed to study for the competitions and learning better as a result.
“I’ve loved it,” said Harker. “It gave me experience in academia and allowed me to see if that was an option for a career. Maybe I could teach in the future.”
Advocating for Montco
Harker testified on behalf of the College during a hearing by the Montgomery County Commissioners on the County budget. Harker described her experience as a student at the College and the programs in place at the College to support students.
“It was great to be able to speak about that at that level,” she said. “Every opportunity to promote and advocate for Montco, I absolutely love to take.”
She then moderated a book talk during the 2026 Presidential Symposium on Diversity
with keynote speaker Dr. Omekongo Dibinga. The question-and-answer discussion centered
on his book, “G.R.O.W. Toward Your Greatness! 10 Steps Toward Living Your Best Life,”
and how it tied into the symposium’s theme of “Lead with Unity, Act with Purpose.”
“Most of the questions were ones I had written,” she said of moderating the discussion. “And then to be able to also have a conversation about the symposium theme and things like that was really, really great.”
With her degree in hand, Harker is turning her attention to the future. This fall, she said she’s transferring to four-year-partner school, Drexel University, to study accounting.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “I’m sad to be leaving here but it’s part of the journey.”
She thanked the faculty and staff at the College for their support over the last two years and won’t ever forget her time here.
“Their mentorship and guidance has been immeasurable,” she said. “I found my spot here. I’m became very close with the students and faculty here. I’m very sad to be leaving. I have grown professionally, academically and socially. I’m glad I stuck around here a little longer.”