Seniors Nicole Lutz and Caitlin Pisarski compete in DECA Nationals in Anaheim, CA.

     A long-lasting friendship can lead to a successful partnership in the
marketing world. For seniors Nicole Lutz and Caitlin Pisarski, their
six-year long friendship helped them make it to DECA Nationals this year
in Anaheim, CA.

     Lutz and Pisarski have been involved with marketing club DECA and the
International Business and Marketing Institute career program for two
years. The two participate in marketing-related events together in
front of judges, thinking on their feet, displaying their knowledge of
Traveling and Tourism.

     “I knew I wanted to go into business since I was younger,” Lutz said.
“Caitlin didn’t decide to go into marketing and business until her
sophomore year when she joined international business.”

     After placing in States earlier in the school year, Lutz and Pisarski
were informed that they qualified for DECA Nationals in California. The
girls could not believe the news, especially Pisarski.

     “I thought [the judges] were kidding when they told us we placed
second. I thought it was some kind of mean joke. I could understand if
we got fourth place and barely make it, but we got second and a
trophy!” Pisarski said.

     Lutz also could not believe they qualified.

     “I cried when I found out,” Lutz said. “I did not expect to make it at
all.  I thought [senior] Will Sheppard would make it because he is really smart,
I had no expectations for me and Caitlin to.”

     Sheppard has been involved with DECA and the IBMI program for the past
two years.

     Qualifying for nationals entailed the girls to travel to Anaheim,
which thus required Lutz and Pisarski to fundraise for the trip.

     “My parents were proud for me, but they didn’t really want to pay for
everything. So, we tried to fundraise. During Spring break, we went to
a whole bunch of businesses trying to get donations, but it didn’t go
too well. We only got one donation from Ron Marhoffer: 200 dollars. We
also tried to have a Beef O’ Brady’s night for fundraising, but
literally only our parents and our teachers came,” Lutz said.

     Regardless of their failed fundraising attempts, Lutz and Pisarski set
out for Anaheim on Apr. 24. The competition began on the same day. Lutz
and Pisarski completed their test for the Traveling and Tourism
category. The next day they had a role play event in which the two are
given a scenario and they have to solve the problem with their
marketing abilities and skills to determine how they would market a
product.

     Unfortunately, Lutz and Pisarski were eliminated the first round.

     “There was 16,000 competitors at nationals form both the U.S. and
Canada, so we had a lot of competition,” Pisarski said.

     Although they were eliminated early on, Lutz and Pisarski still had
fun in California. The two were in Anaheim for four days and took
advantage of the opportunity. They went to Disneyland, Laguna Beach and
ate at an In-N-Out Burger.

     Even with the loss, the Lutz and Pisarski are proud they made it to
national level. Overall, DECA in general has made the girls’ friendship
stronger.

     “We have learned how to work well with each other and got to travel
across the country together, so I definitely feel like DECA has brought
us closer together,” Pisarski said.

     Lutz also believes having such a close friendship helped them succeed
in DECA competitions.

     “Being as close as we are, we aren’t afraid to say our ideas to each
other, even if they are dumb. We also can tell when the other person is
struggling: [we can] jump in and talk for them during an event,” Lutz
said.

     Now that Lutz and Pisarski’s senior year comes to an end, the two plan
on continuing their friendship after high school. Both Lutz and
Pisarski work at Panera Bread. They both will be dorming together at
Kent State Univ. this fall, as well as both pursuing majors in
Marketing.

     Being in DECA and IBMI has brought upon many long-lasting memories for
the girls.

     “My best memory of DECA was probably the dances at states,” Pisarski
said.

     Lutz’s favorite part was “traveling to California and going to
Disneyland.”

     Looking back from their first event, both girls have become more
confident in their marketing skills.

     “For our very first event, we were freaking out! We had no confidence
and didn’t think we were going to do well, we even stuttered in front
of the judges,” Pisarski said. “However, at nationals we were
completely confident in ourselves, with no nerves at all.”

    
     The friends had much support and guidance from business teachers Lisa
Mowls and Carrie Harris.

     “[Mowls and Harris] helped a lot with everything. They made us letters
to help us fundraise, they gave us blazers to wear for nationals and we
really tried to do as much as they said for the best chances of
winning,” Lutz said.

     Both are eager to graduate and start a new chapter in their lives at
KSU; however, Lutz and Pisarski will miss being a part of DECA and the
people who are a part of the club. Lutz also had great advice for
upcoming DECA members:

     “If you want to succeed in DECA, don’t stress out in front of the
judges. Be yourself because that’s what [the judges] like. Also, dress
professionally and practice as much tests as you can.”