How ‘bout them ears?  Mickey’s ears to be exact.  Bridgeport High School DECA members had the opportunity to travel to see Mickey Mouse in person at Walt Disney World last week as they competed in the International Career Development Conference in Orlando. 

 

More than 18,000 students from all 50 states and nine countries gathered in Orlando from April 24-29 to compete for internships, scholarships, and bragging rights in more than 60 competitive events that ranged from marketing to finance to entrepreneurship and more.  Haleigh Mardos, who placed first in the state, competed in Advertising Campaign with a multicultural approach to marketing a doll with real life proportions. 

 

“I wanted to have a unique item so I could stand out.  I chose the Lamily doll, which has realistic features and helps young girls have a good self image regardless of their size,” said Mardos.  “I developed it into a multicultural campaign and co-branded with Dove, which also focuses on boosting the self image of girls.  The experience allowed me to showcase my skills in advertising and marketing and improve my presentation skills as I networked with professionals.”

 

Jake Runner, Coleton Marsh, and Calvin Nguyen attended the Thrive Leadership Academy while at the International Career Development Conference.  The academy helped develop teamwork skills and showed them ways to be leaders in their home communities. 

 

“It was really exciting to meet people from all over the world and see how similar we are,” said Marsh.  “We worked in groups to accomplish goals and see the challenges in a new perspective.”

 

Ryley Sturm competed in Food Marketing and Abbey Cottrill competed in Accounting.

 

“It was really neat to see so many people there to learn about DECA. The opening ceremony had a fashion show and keynote speakers that taught us about how to excel in business and we had the opportunity to work with mentors from around the nation, “ said Cottrill.

 

Students also had a chance for some fun at Universal and the Disney Parks. 

 

“We actually had the opportunity to conduct marketing research for the upcoming television season while at Universal,” said Mardos.  “We also went to each of the four main Disney parks and observed the marketing aspects while we had fun.  Disney knows how to market their products and services well and seeing it from that perspective made the trip even more fun.”

 

Each of the state winners will be honored Tuesday at the Harrison County School Board meeting for their achievements.  They are grateful to the community for their donations and support which made the trip possible.