This picture was taken at the 2018 Massachusetts DECA Career Development Conference, where I earned first place in my category of Retail Merchandising Series. In this category, I was given 10 minutes to read and come up with a solution for a scenario involving a difficulty a retail establishment was facing, and then 10 more minutes to present my solution to a judge. I qualified for nationals, and visiting Atlanta for ICDC was a very valuable experience in my high school career. Through DECA, I learned how to engineer practical business solutions with innovative thinking. Throughout my tenure in DECA I also earned top 10 finishes in the categories of Entreprenuership Written, International Business Plan, and Start-Up Business Plan. DECA has encouraged me to consider careers in business, and opened my mind to both the challenges and rewards in starting and running my own business.
Peer Mentor Interview: Patrick Finn
I had to pleasure to meet and interview one of my assigned PSL peer mentors, Patrick Finn. Patrick is a Junior at OSU, and is a PSL member as well as a cadet in the Army ROTC. He is a Political Science major, and lives off campus. I asked him what he plans to do in the military after his time at OSU, and he told me of his intentions to become at Judge Advocate in the military, essentially a military attorney. He was unsure whether this will end up happening, however, but he feels that his background in PSL and an internship at the US Attorney’s Office give him a solid background that will be beneficial in achieving this goal of his. He credits PSL with helping him secure this internship. Aside from the tangible benefits given by this connection from PSL, he says his favorite part about the program has been social group activities with his mentor group in years past.