DECA students heads to nationals

Topsail High School senior Grant Gates is not going to school on April 25 or any of the next four days after that. But don't call the truancy officer yet. Grant will be in Atlanta representing DECA at the International Career Development Conference.

For those who don't know, DECA is a business marketing and management organization that prepares mainly high school students for careers in related fields. The club also has alumni who remain involved with them.

Up to 15,000 students will be descending upon Atlanta for the late April convention. What makes Gates' attendance at the meeting special is that he is one of only 100 finalists from all over the country for the $25,000 Harry Applegate Scholarship.

Becoming a finalist for the scholarship is not just something someone can sign up to win.

Gates earned this spot after placing first in a statewide DECA event called the Business Interview Skills Role Play.

The role-play was a grueling grilling by area business leaders who volunteered to keep the competition as realistic as possible. Gates had to be fluent in five competencies that DECA tests for during the competition. He also had to be able to maintain his composure, since the point of the event was to apply these concepts out of students' normal comfort zones.

Winning one competition is not the only accomplishment Gates has attained through his two years in DECA. When he was not focusing on his other schoolwork or his part-time job, he found the time to prepare for and even place in a few other DECA competitions.

Gates will has quite a few more things he could put on his resume than your average teenager thanks to his DECA involvement. He placed in the top six in the state on a 100 question marketing exam. He also won the Sonya Dismuke scholarship; named after the late DECA Advisor. He placed first in the state in employment skills competition. Finally, he was awarded the outstanding presidents award for his leadership of the Topsail High organization

With poise even some adults never achieve, Gates spoke of his plans to attend Cape Fear Community College with the hopes of eventually transferring to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He even has a rough plan of what he wants to do for a living after that.

"I've never wanted to own my own business. I want to get my MBA and then I want to go into management for an existing organization," said Gates.

Topsail High Teacher Sue France has been one of the DECA advisors for the last twelve years and beams up when speaking of her approximately 20 students who are members in the club.

"These students are the cream of the crop. You can take them on trips and you don't have to worry about them," said France.

Her biggest worry for Gates and her other students was something less under their control: finances.

"Grant's looks like it could cost around 1,500 dollars. His hotel is already 120 dollars a night and that's for five nights. And of course he has to eat. Also, we don‘t want to send him all the way to Atlanta to the conference and then tell him he can‘t experience the whole thing. So we‘re trying our best to get donations to cover it all," said France. 

The National Convention will begin much like the Olympics with an opening ceremony, several competitions, and a closing ceremony. There will also be yet-to-be named A-list entertainment performing for DECA. Previous acts include Keith Urban and Cirque de Soleil.

France said donors in the area always come through to help DECA students; often generous people who do not even personally know the students they are helping. On top of that, she said she would even save donors the trouble of having to come to her - she is willing to drive to pick up the check!

"I'll even bring them the tax forms so they can make sure it's tax deductible. We just want to get Grant to Atlanta," said France.

To make a donation towards the DECA conference, France can be reached at (910) 270-9131 or at susan_france@penderk12.nc.us.

Or you could just find Grant at Harris Teeter, where he is a Front-end Trainer. Aside from winning DECA awards, he just found out he is going to be named the store's Associate of the Month. For that, he at least deserves a trip to Atlanta.