On Friday, December 8th, the business students at State High raised the bar once again at the Pennsylvania District 4-5 DECA competition. Among the twenty-eight first place recipients competing from three schools in the district, twenty-three gold medals were awarded to the kids from State College.

At this event, students had the choice to either compete individually or in a team of two. The top three competitors in each individual event, along with the top two teams in each team event, were awarded with bids to the state competition in February, 2018. The state competition is held annually in Hershey, PA, each attendee competing for a bid to the national convention held in Atlanta, Georgia in May, 2018.

Chloe Snellgrove, a junior at State High, is one of the students that will be attending the state competition in Hershey. “I can’t wait for states,” Snellgrove said. “I worked really hard and I’m really glad it paid off.”

This was Snellgrove’s first year competing in the district competition and she was able earn a first place medal in the Principles of Finance event. Snellgrove sees her experience as not only a great opportunity to learn more about business, but also an opportunity to make connections and showcase her knowledge to the judges. “This event gave me an opportunity to show colleges what I’m capable of and that’s a big deal for me,”  Snellgrove said.

Besides her passion for business, Snellgrove is a straight-A student trying to get into an Ivy League university. DECA allows her to combine her knowledge and passion to give her a competitive edge. But it wasn’t just the competition, it was the experience too.

“I really enjoyed the friendly competition in DECA and support from not only my peers, but my competitors and the other schools,” she said. Because of how well State High did in total, Snellgrove will be able to attend states with some of her friends, giving her the opportunity to have another fun and competitive experience in Hershey. Although states is over two months away, Chloe has already started studying.

“I am determined to do the very best that I can at states,” she said. “Working hard now means less work later.”