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closeDECA Internationals: The big payoff for Rogers marketing students
Chris Albert
Today, eight marketing students from Rogers High School are boarding a plane to make their way to DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Atlanta.
“ You see some definite growth in them,” said Paul Stoltenberg, their marketing advisor.
The students are upperclassmen, mostly seniors, who have used their marketing class and its DECA club affiliation as a way to learn about the inter-workings of business, professionalism, networking and the finer points of being able to sell ideas, products and themselves.
“Kids want to be able to use what they learn in the classroom,” Stoltenberg said.
The students will spend through next Wednesday competing in marketing competitions, networking, learning and enjoying a well- deserved trip across the country.
Leading up to the conference, the students spent a year creating and presenting projects that, when all is said and done, amount to countless hours of work, 30 to 85 pages of manuals they’ve created and an experience across the country with more than 14,000 DECA students from the United States, Guam, Mexico and Canada.
“It’s really incredible, especially when you get into the grand opening session,” said Lindsey Turner, the outgoing DECA chapter president.
The Rogers student was able to experience the conference last year and will be joined by her seven classmates for their first time at the conference.
Meeting fellow DECA students from around the world is an amazing experience, Turner said.
After placing in state for their respective projects or active work in their DECA chapter, Alyssa Johnson, Kelsie Howe, McKinzy Nasinec, Haley Olson, Alyssa Christensen and Bron Dineen will join Turner as well as incoming chapter president Justin Piger on the trip.
Olson and Christensen worked on a project that highlighted the activities their DECA chapter had done all year.
“It was really fun to look back at all the fun memories,” Olson said. “I didn’t realize how many activities we actually did.”
While they will compete nationally this year, the two have made sure to leave a guide for future students to build on what they’ve done.
Although it is a competition, some of the best parts about the conference are the people they meet, Turner said.
As classmates they’ve grown together through marketing classes.
“From all my classes in high school, it’s the one I’ll remember the most,” Turner said. “It’s kind of interesting to watch what you learn in this class apply to just about anything.”
Christensen, like many students, had a hard time speaking in front of people when she started high school. Marketing has been a great tool in developing confidence.
“I think everyone of us sees so much improvement in ourselves,” she said.
With that improvement marked by hard work the payoff for the group is getting a chance to go on a trip together.
“I’m excited to be with my new team,” Piger said of the new DECA state leadership team.
For Turner the experience will be bittersweet. DECA has meant a lot to her.
“There’s going to be big tears on Wednesday,” she said.