Although no competitors from Park progressed to nationals at the state DECA competition, adviser Sophia Ross said they performed very well and bonded with their fellow chapter members.

March 8-10 at the Downtown Minneapolis Hyatt, DECA members competed in a series of rounds each day. They began with preliminary rounds and ended with the final round, which determined whether they would advance to the final competition, the International Conference.

According to Ross there were 1,500 students competing, which provided a challenge.

“They said it was an awesome experience and now they know what to expect if they make it to State next year,” Ross said. “The competition is really tough at state and I was really pleased with their scores.”

According to Ross, all advisers of DECA chapters attending the event acquired the role of checking competitors into events.

“A highlight for me is just first getting to the conference, seeing how excited the students are about being there,” Ross said. “There are mixed emotions. I think the most important thing is that they feel like they did a really good job and they gave their all.”

Ross said she believes students performed to their best ability and some came close to making the top twelve in their event, which would qualify them for nationals.

“I feel like one way we can improve our performance both at districts and state is practice,” Ross said. “ If you are practicing your roleplays, really prepping for your events and taking business and marketing classes, that can help prepare you for these projects.”

This year was senior Kalaia Bouley’s second year at state for quick food restaurant management and sales demo. Bouley said she was disapointed in her performance, but has grown from the experience.

“(Competing in state) gives you management skills with a good opportunity to think quickly and problem solve,” Bouley said. “If you are going to be in business, this is such a great opportunity, and it helps you so much for any career.”

Bouley said a highlight of the weekend was spending time with her fellow DECA chapter members.

“There was a lot of chapter bonding. We went outside together, had food at Ichiban and got pizza and just hung out,” Bouley said. “There are people I don’t normally talk to, so it is nice as a chapter that we are all really accepting of everyone.”

According to Bouley, Ross was her most involved supporter in preparation for the state competition.

“She really made sure we had the help that we needed and made sure we were prepared for our specific events,” Bouley said.