Swanson, Seal, Lykens Qualify for DECA International Competition

Isabella Swanson

West High senior Isabella Swanson competed at the Tennessee DECA qualifiers in Chattanooga Feb. 29-March 1. The event Swanson competed in was role play, and she chose to perform a quick serve restaurant management series for her entry in the competition. Swanson honed her piece using the DECA plus study tools and practice tests. Among the eight competitors, Swanson was one of four in the state to qualify for international competition. The DECA international competition. West DECA competed against 31 other teams.

Chloe Seal (L), Raylie Lykens (R)

In addition to Swanson, seniors Raylie Lykens and Chloe Seal also qualified for international competition in the Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making Event. Seal explains the event, “As a team we both take roles so we are usually marketing managers or managers over merchandise. We take on these roles to complete the prompt given to us and pitch our ideas in front of a judge.” Seal and Lykens placed fourth in their competition, qualifying them for the international competition. In a similar fashion to Swanson, Seal and Lykens used the “DECA plus” platform to prepare for the competition, studying marketing vocabulary and performance indicators. 

DECA staff sponsor Mrs. Jacqueline Cutshaw was “very proud of all of her students who competed at state” and has “...high hopes for internationals.”

Iris Hernandez, Caroline Brady, Chloe Seal, My Tran, Noah Stapleton, Harsh Patel, Raylie Lykens, Isabella Swanson, Mrs. Jacqueline Cutshaw