Three Casey County High School DECA members made history recently, becoming the chapter’s first students ever to earn first-place recognition at region competition.
Competing on Jan. 22 at the Region 2 Career Development Conference in Bowling Green, junior Sam Gossage and sophomore Braylon Taylor took home top honors in the Hospitality Services Team Decision Making competition, and junior Porter Carnahan racked up the first-place win in the Marketing Communications Series event.
They were among 12 CCHS students competing at regions, and every competitor in attendance placed in the top five of their event.
Junior Rylee McQueary and sophomore Naomi Coleman partnered to take home second place in Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making. Senior Jasmin Hernandez and junior Ana Gonzalez also garnered second place, competing in the Community Awareness Project event.
Junior McKenna Wilham captured third place in Restaurant and Food Service Management, while juniors Vrut Patel, Walker Emerson, and Ben Wiseman attained fourth-place honors as a group in the Start-Up Business Plan competition.
Sophomore Brandon Burt rounded out the awards with his fifth-place finish in the Principles of Marketing event.
Of the 12 competitors, seven were newcomers to the chapter this year, never having participated in a DECA region competition before, making their feats even more impressive, according to Hernandez, who also serves as chapter president.
“I was incredibly proud of my chapter!” she said. “You would have never assumed most of them had never competed in a regional competition, as they all competed with such confidence.”
The group is also young, with only one of the competitors being a senior.
As the lone senior qualifier, Hernandez added the group’s upcoming state competition will be crucial for the other competitors to gain experience for the future.
“[Participating at state] will truly be an aid to the longevity of our club,” she said. “[It’s] not only a fun experience but also allows everyone to learn how to compete well in DECA competitions, how to perform successfully in front of a panel of judges and even teaches them key skills, such as professionalism and punctuality, all important factors found in DECA.”
Due to inclement weather, not all Region 2 chapters were able to attend in person. This delayed the official awards ceremony until the state conference and allowed virtual testers to qualify for state. This included two other CCHS DECA members — junior Dylan Kalyesubula and sophomore Vanessa Pittman — who qualified for state competition through virtual testing.
These 14 members will participate in the DECA State Career Development Conference in Louisville on March 2-4.
This will be the local chapter’s second trip to compete in the state conference, with the first being last year.
Co-advisor Nanette Wright said the group gained invaluable experience during its first-ever trip to state and will look to build on that this year with so many new members.
“Last year’s competition gave our students a glimpse of what’s possible when they challenge themselves,” Wright said. “This time, they are coming in with more confidence, knowledge, and a strong desire to improve and succeed. At state, we are looking to bring home more awards and showcase the hard work our students have put in.”