Clover Park High School (CPHS) sophomores Ernest Balezi and Helaman Faamausili were surprised in class recently with the news they qualified for the DECA International Career Development Conference to be held April 28-May 3 in Nashville, Tenn.
They will be competing in the Student-Based Enterprise food service event, presenting the plan they crafted for the CPHS student store this year. Their plan focuses on pricing, break-even points, return on investment and product mark ups.
"We were speechless," said Faamausili, who is the club president this year. "It's going to be a nerve-wracking experience but we are mostly just excited to compete against the other teams."
The project plan earned the CPHS student store a renewal of the gold-level certification status it obtained for the first time last year. To earn certification, student managers and DECA members complete a written project showcasing how their food service operations adhere to select model business standards.
At the international conference, Balezi and Faamausili will compete against students from the more than 500 student enterprises that earned gold-level certification this year.
"Both of them are just amazing young men. They're leaders and great role models," said CPHS marketing teacher Kitti Wheeler. "They're having some great conversations about pricing and they're really engaged."
DECA is an organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.
More than 10,000 DECA members are expected to participate in competitive events at the International Career Development Conference.