LOHS’s International Marketing DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) team sent 28 students to their regional competitions, where they were ranked against 800 other students from across the state. LOHS had five groups win first in state for various competitions: sophomore Jeb Scipio del Campo and junior Bishan Zheng with the Entrepreneurship Start-Up Business; juniors Andrew Huang, Tylor Kim and Alicia Li with the Business Solutions Project; seniors Bryson Ballew, Eli Bowersox and Kellen Krebs with the Entrepreneurship Independent Business Plan; seniors Lily Carlson and Lina Robles with the Community Giving Project; and seniors Evan Dromgoole, Ji Reichle and Christian Rowell with the Financial Literacy Project. 

Li said, “Honestly, it was really fun to get back into [an in-person event], it was something I was really looking forward to, just knowing there were a lot of school trips I’ve missed in the past [due to the pandemic].” 

Throughout the semester, the International Marketing class prepares for the state competition. Students simulate competition situations, study business strategies and procedures and work on written projects. The prerequisites to International Marketing are Marketing 1 & 2, however, this is the first year that the LOHS team has also been open to members of the Business Club who are interested in competing. 

There are three key parts to the competition that determine the student’s score: a written portion, a role play situation and a multiple choice test. Both the written and the role play can be done either individually or in a group of up to three people, with topics ranging from designing a new product to business ethics. A written paper is prepared beforehand and verbally presented at the competition. The role play is over a particular topic, but the specific scenario and subsequent presentation are entirely improvisational. An individual or team is given the scenario and time to prepare a response to the judge’s questions and any key points within the topic. The multiple choice test (taken before the competition) covers basic topics in finance, marketing management and business strategy. 

Scipio del Campo, a participant in the business start-up event, said, “I feel like DECA taught me more about professionalism, public relations, presentation skills and thinking on your feet.” 

Students who are interested in finance, business, or just looking to improve their public speaking skills should consider joining the DECA team. The state winners will continue to the national DECA competition on April 22-27 in Atlanta, Georgia.