Strongsville Students Compete At International Event

STRONGSVILLE, OH — Twelve students from the Strongsville High's DECA program competed at the International Conference in Orlando, Florida recently.

DECA prepares students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, management and entrepreneurship. The International Career Development Conference had a record-breaking 21,000 attendees this year.

“We are so proud of our students in Strongsville’s DECA program. Providing these opportunities for them to prepare for college and career is a goal of our DECA program and we appreciate the hard work and dedication of these students. Each year they push themselves and compete at the very highest level in the state and national competitions. They are fantastic representatives of Strongsville High School,” said Ms. Jessica Frenchik, Strongsville High School marketing teacher and DECA adviser.

Here are the students from Strongsville that competed at the conference, and what category they were competing in:

• Clare Abdallah (Quick Serve Restaurant)
• Andrew Aske & John Mott (Entrepreneurship)
• Anna Barrett (Automotive Marketing)
• Haley Dye & Vera Maglakelidze (Marketing Management)
• Eric Geiss & Gillian Williams (Financial Services)
• Nick Jones (Automotive Marketing)
• Hannah Lipowski (Business Services)
• Cassidy Locigno (Food Marketing)
• Jamie Melland (Restaurant & Food Service)

Barrett, a Strongsville senior, competed against more than 200 participants in the Automotive Services Marketing individual event. She placed in the top 10 percent of her category, qualifying for the finalist round. She then earned a Top 10 International Finalist and was recognized on stage at the closing award ceremony.

Barrett's event consisted of a comprehensive marketing exam, during which she had to perform various functions related to tasks related to the automotive industry. She also completed two case studies and earned a top performance medal for both.