During my junior year of high school, I joined the group DECA. This is an organization that competes in 
business marketing competitions throughout the nation. During my senior year, I competed with a group and we wrote a 20-page research paper for the business services operations category of the competition. We chose the company Paramount Insurance located in Toledo, Ohio to focus our research. While doing research we sent out surveys to Paramount Insurance users to get their opinion on cause marketing. My group decided to run a cause marketing campaign called Home for Hardships. This would be a home for women who are victims of domestic violence or substance abuse. We would offer a safe place for them to come and stay and receive treatment to help them get back on their feet. This was a fake campaign but I learned so much new information about what goes into building a shelter.
While at the competition judges read our paper and critiqued it. Then we had to give a 15-minute presentation in front of those judges. My group did very well and we placed seventh in the state. This project helped me learn research skills and good public speaking techniques. This was my first big research project and it helped me learn skills that will benefit me in the future.