CCISD DECA students knock it out of the park, head to international contest
By WENDY SLEDD
Special to Leader-Press
Who would’ve known that by attending one baseball game, you could be offered an opportunity of a lifetime?
For Copperas Cove High School DECA students Bryiona and Quiana Whitley, it was that one day that changed their lives forever and set them on the path to achieve great things in the business world.
The twins attended a Houston Astros baseball games and the journey began on a project that has propelled them to the international DECA competition in Florida next week.
“We began our project last summer with the help of my adviser, Charlotte Heinze, and a close family member, Keshia Henderson, Houston Astros International Selling Coordinator,” Quiana Whitley said.
Fellow DECA member Shomad Lomax joined the sisters, and Heinze helped the group with the pragmatics of marketing concepts and how to execute the project for the Sports and Entertainment Operations Research Event category.
“First, we started by doing a little background research over the Astros, and the twins actually sat down for a meeting with Ryan Smith, the media strategy manager,” Lomax said. “Our goal was to create a no-cost budget campaign using only social media to get the New Millennial Generation more involved in the Houston Astros’ baseball games.”
“Keshia Henderson taught us and gave us the opportunities and lifetime experience that gave our group’s project a successful run so far,” Quiana Whitley said. “Ryan Smith, head of the marketing department for the Houston Astros Corporation, gave us insight of their current marketing efforts and gave us the opportunity to implement our ideas for the Astros Corporation.”
Getting hands-on experience with business professionals in their future fields of interest was priceless, Bryiona Whitley said.
“The journey wasn’t easy. Commuting back and forth from Copperas Cove to Houston was very challenging, but that just shows how determined and self-driven we were to accomplish our goals,” she said. “Since the summer break prior to this current school year, my team has worked extremely hard with the Houston Astros to better their business.”
In the district competition, the trio placed second and were motivated to examine the judges’ critiques and push the project to the next level.
“Advancing to the State competition, meant our group had to give it our all. We managed to place first in the whole Sports Marketing Operation Research event for Texas DECA,” Quiana Whitley said.
The three students join 32 others from the Copperas Cove High School DECA Chapter who qualified for the international conference. The members compete next week for world honors and are the sole school competing from the Central Texas Region.
“DECA is an organization that truly inspires students to thrive in the fields of business, marketing, entrepreneurship and finance. I can proudly say that my team members and I have achieved the title of true DECA members this year,” Quiana Whitley said. “We’ve competed in and so far have been excelling in each conference competition this year. We hope to accomplish so much more at the international level and our future through DECA.”