When looking ahead to the National DECA competition, business and marketing teacher Sophia Ross is optimistic about the skills of the two Park students who qualified for the competition at the state competition March 19-21.

“The top three students from each event in every single state are going to be there,” Ross said. “I think that it is going to be highly competitive but I think both of them have the skills to make it to the final rounds at Nationals.”

According to the online site of DECA, the competition is part of the organization’s International Career Development Conference, which brings together 18,000 students, advisors, businesspersons and alumni each year.

Junior Lewis Brown qualified for the competition in the sales demonstration category and said he focused on interacting the judges in his demonstration.

“I competed in a sales demonstration, and I demonstrated a Nutribullet. I made a smoothie for [the judges] to get them involved, and then we closed up the sale.”

Business education teacher and DECA adviser Sally Adams said competition fosters lessons on real-world skills for students.

“I think that going through competition in general benefits students because you learn how to win, you learn how to lose, you learn how to prepare, you learn that maybe you didn’t prepare enough, you learn soft skills, you learn how to talk to adults and judges, how to be nervous but still go in and do a good job,” Adams said.

Ross said she attributes the uncommon success of Brown and sophomore Yonah Davis, both first-year participants in DECA, to their communication skills as well as skills learned in their marketing class at Park.

“Yonah and Lewis are rockstars and I am so excited for them. They are both first year competitors and them making it to Nationals is unheard of,” Ross said. “I think that they learned those skills in the Intro to Marketing class, because we had a selling competition, and they are both really great communicators.”

Brown said the highlight of competition is being recognized for his work.

“The best part (of the state competition) was hearing my name being called (as a national qualifier), or at (the district competition), becoming a finalist and getting to stand on the podium,” Brown said.

Adams said the success of Brown and Davis is both the goal and the reward of her work as an adviser.

“I am very proud of Lewis and Yonah, it is always fun to win. As teachers and advisers, the real reward is watching kids succeed and thrive, that is the goal of everything that you are doing,” Adams said.

The National competition takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center April 26-29 in Anaheim, California.