Atlanta said hello to seven Puyallup High School seniors this April and they left with a friendly goodbye and a strong showing at an international marketing event.
Puyallup students were there to compete in the International Career Development Conference with about 14,000 students from the United States, Canada, Mexico and Guam.
“I thought it was cool because I didn’t know what to expect,” said Brooke Brouillet, whose team competed in the competition.
Brouillet and her teammates Emily Weller and Alex Johnson presented their Chapter Awards Project at the competition and placed fourth.
The project highlighted different events their DECA chapter had done throughout the year, including Cookie DECA-orating.
It was a good team building event, said Marketing Advisor Maggie Wall.
Before the competition, Brouillet, Weller and Johnson presented their project at the state competition where they placed lower than they did at the international level.
“It was good for us because it made us think about what we had to do,” Brouillet said.
They had a strong presentation, she said. It was a little intimidating to see students from all around going over their presentation before the competition, with a fine toothed comb.
“It was a shock to us that we got fourth,” Brouillet said. “But we knew what we were talking about.”
Her team wasn’t alone in giving their best effort at the conference.
Arika Smithhisler and Marissa Fletcher made it to the finals for their Buying in Merchandising project. Alisha Timm went to the conference to take part in the Leadership Development Academy. Eric Zuelsdorf and Johnson also competed in the Travel and Tourism.
It was a strong showing for Puyallup students, Wall said.
“It was a good sized group,” she said. “It’s such an opportunity for kids to do.”
The conference is more than a competition for the students. A lot of it involves meeting other high school students from around the world. They trade special pins made for each of their areas. Brouillet was determined to get a Georgia pin.
“I wanted Georgia and I got Georgia,” she said.
Marketing brings students closer to understanding what they’ll face in the real world, Wall said. They learn communication, how to think analytically and what it means to be a professional.
“I always have teachers tell me they can always tell DECA kids in senior presentation,” Wall said, because they are well prepared and know how to present.”
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