Lima Sr. students took sixth place in an international competition

LIMA – A good representative is vital for any business that wants to build its profile and reputation. They give the organization a human face and can effectively convey your messages to the public and the media. The Griffin Heritage Foundation could not find two better representatives than Keegan Halliday and Matilda Nelson, juniors of Lima High School.

Both Halliday and Nelson participate in the branch of the Distributive Educational Clubs of America in Lima Senior. They recently finished sixth at the DECA International Competition in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo was the only team from Ohio to take part in the event. According to the DECA website, DECA is “an integral part of the classroom curriculum, DECA’s industry-proven competitive activities meet national curriculum standards in the career clusters of marketing, business management and administration, finance, hospitality and tourism. DECA’s flagship assessment process involves students both in writing, such as in an exam or report, and in an interactive component with an industry professional acting as a judge. DECA competitions directly contribute to the fact that every student after high school is ready for college and career.

Summarizing DECA’s experience, Halliday says: “In general, DECA is just business and marketing. They teach us interview skills. They teach us to engage in worldwide business and marketing because so much can be done under this guise. It gives us a real experience with all of these things. It’s almost too much to count all the things that have been affected. “

Describing their project for the competition, Nelson explained: “We were doing a project for the Griffin Legacy Foundation. He (Andre Griffin) goes to these camps a lot. He organized small camps that cost little or no visitors, just to get the kids to get to know the coaches of the college, make sure, work out the skills to help them become better athletes. He then organizes this big camp in May, which will be free for visitors. Eventually, they will have two scholarship winners – one man and one woman, each of whom will receive $ 500, and then a scholarship to a high school student who struggled with adversity in his high school career, who will receive $ 2,000. It’s just his way of giving back to society because that’s what he really stands for. He wants to give back to everyone he can. Many of these children are not given the opportunity to go beyond Lima. So that’s what he’s really trying to do, and that’s what we’re helping him promote. “

Halliday shared: “Overall we are promoting this thing and the way it gives back to children and fights poverty through sport.”

On the day of the competition there were presentations that started at 9:30, but their presentations took place only after 15:00. They have already passed a test of 100 multiple-choice questions for part of the competition. Halliday commented: “We have done our presentation so many times. I think I’m speaking for both of us when I say we had our own sense of confidence. No matter what we did, we wouldn’t be too angry. We do everything we can. We can’t do much better. We do it as best we can. Our best is better than others’.

Nelson had his own view on the competition. “We knew that just going on stage was an achievement, so we thought, ‘We dropped our presentation.’ We have already passed the test. Let’s just go out and do it. “

These two juniors stand out for their leadership and confidence. Halliday is the captain of the University of Tennis and Football. Nelson is an athlete from three sports, playing in volleyball, basketball and softball. Nelson is the president of the junior class, and Halliday is the vice president.

Nelson has a plan for his life. “I’m going to the University of Chicago. I plan to play softball there, and then 98% will go to medical school. So I go to medical school and hope to use the skills I got at DECA. I have a job in the restaurant industry. So I’m already learning people’s skills, maybe some bed behavior skills. I want to become either an orthopedic surgeon or a radiologist. I hope to use my leadership skills, perhaps in the operating room or just during my studies, and use my aspirations only to continue to do all I can. ”

Halliday also has a life plan to follow. “I want to do sports and exercise psychology. I want to meet people when they go to college and prepare them for the big jump from high school sports because it’s a different ball game. I plan to go to the University of West Virginia. They have a program and I met with their Department of Sport Psychology and Exercise and it seemed perfect to me. All he can offer is all I want. ”

Contact Dean Brown at 567-242-0409