Ashley Patterson & Kaela Hoatlin
Future Business Leaders of Hidden Lake
Ashley Patterson and Kaela Hoatlin are Brighton High School DECA program members and recently attended the DECA International competition in Atlanta! DECA is an acronym for Distributive Education Clubs of America. It is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational association preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.
Michigan DECA is supported by a grant from the Michigan Department of Education to the College of Engineering & Technology at Eastern Michigan University and has more than 6,500 members in 150 high schools and area career centers across the state. Michigan was one of 17 charter states to affiliate with DECA in 1947. Michigan has grown to be the ninth largest in terms of membership. Besides having a large membership, Michigan DECA is also an innovator in many ways. From competitive events to corporate partnerships, Michigan DECA always strives to provide its student members with as many opportunities as possible.
Throughout the year, high school members are offered the opportunity to participate in many conferences focusing on DECA's four main goals: vocational understanding, leadership development, civic consciousness and social intelligence. Members can attend the State Leadership Conference, district competitions, the State Career Development Conference, and represent the state of Michigan at the International Career Development Conference. The 2022 DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC) was held in Downtown Detroit from March 10 through 12, 2022. It hosted over 4,200 Michigan DECA members and advisors.
Neighbor Terri Fenelon sponsored Kaela's trip, allowing her to focus on competing for the event rather than worrying about the cost of attending. Kaela shares, "Terri was a huge support system and sponsored my trip! She has a huge heart and wanted to help me get the same life skills she did when she was a part of DECA when she attended Brighton High School." Other sponsors of Kaela include Doan Construction and Amy and Rodney Goble, owners of Legacy Center.
Ashley's trip was sponsored by Gus's, neighboring businesses, her parents and her grandparents. Leftover monies from all members were pooled together for all DECA members to enjoy an end-year pizza party, celebrating their club's accomplishments. Every member also received a DECA Yeti Cup to thank them for their team's hard teamwork and dedication!
During the state conference, Ashley and Kaela were able to meet DECA members from around the state, interact with critical business representatives, and compete for a chance to represent Michigan DECA at the International Career Development Conference. Before a DECA member can participate in the state conference, they must compete in the district conference, held online due to COVID-19. Each member is given a project and must produce a solution within 30 minutes. Kaela and her partner won the district competition based on their creativity.
Kaela and her partner chose Hospitality and Tourism Team Decision Making for their project. At the state conference, they were given a role play about a community upset about constructing a new hotel. A tree would need to be cut down to move forward with the build. The community was upset and protested in front of the construction site. Kaela and her partner were given 15 minutes to write a script and 15 minutes to role-play the solution. Their solution was to build a park for the community, rehome the tree and plant more trees for the district to enjoy. Once the hotel was built, there would also be employment opportunities available. Kaela and her partner presented the plan with a map design of the park and signed contracts and business cards for future reference. The presentation was a success and advanced Kaela and her partner to the international conference in Atlanta.
At the international conference, Kaela and her partner again chose Hospitality and Tourism. The project they were given was an extension of their role play at the state conference. The hotel wanted to attract more customers who were vacationing on cruise ships. They developed a plan to provide personal assistants who would accompany their clients to a designated entrance to the ship. The usual line to board the vessel is exceedingly long, and travelers wait to board in the hot sun for hours, but customers could avoid the main line by booking with their hotel. The personal assistants would also share information with the clients about services such as babysitting. The goal was to make the onboarding process as simple as possible. The judge was so impressed with their solution that he wanted to implement it as his own company!
Ashley chose Business Solutions for her project. She used the same project for both state and international conferences. The project scope included reaching out to a local business to determine a problem and creating a plan to rectify the issue and implement the solution. Ashley chose Gus's Carry Out, where she worked at the time. Gus's has three locations: Brighton, Hartland and Howell, with the latter two underperforming. Ashley developed a plan to increase revenue in both places, including a statement of the problem, project scope, project goals, and execution. Once the plan was completed, Ashley shared the information with her manager, and several suggestions were implemented in the company. The program was presented at the state conference and was chosen to participate in the international conference.
Kaela is the daughter of Lisa and Kevin Hoatlin and plans to attend Purdue University in the fall, where she will study nursing to become a nurse manager or a nurse practitioner. She is looking forward to participating in Greek life during college and possibly joining medical clubs. She feels she has an advantage over her peers because of her involvement in DECA. Kaela shared, "By participating in the DECA program, I have learned that professionalism includes positivity, supportiveness and perseverance."
Her advice for someone interested in joining DECA is, "Be an active member and be open to getting to know everyone you encounter." The person Kaela admires most is her father, who works in a leadership position in a business setting. She stated she looks up to him as a mentor because he is outstanding at his job. He takes the initiative, organizes the office and has relationships with all employees and customers while remaining professional. "He is the reason I have good people skills."
Kaela has accomplished a great deal during her high school career, including volunteering for the ChadTough Foundation Emma Thompson Tough 5K Run. She won DECA Emerging Leader and the Shining Star awards. She served as DECA vice president of logistics, student section leader, and Brighton kick-off mentor. Kaela was also the president and board member of the First Day of School Committee, was a student leader in the Red Cross Club and the Younglife and Wyldlife programs, and served on the BHS Health Occupations Advisory Board. She was one of only two members chosen by nurses, doctors and surgeons at hospitals such as St. Joe's! Kaela is also the president of the new club she launched at Brighton High School called HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America.) She is an accomplished scholar and member of the National Honors Society and served as the president of the Induction Committee. She also made time to play field hockey and tennis!
Ashley is the daughter of Jeannie and Cary Patterson. She plans to attend Michigan State University in the fall, where she will pursue a career in supply chain management. She also plans to join the MSU Collegiate DECA chapter and Greek life. Ashley believes her experience with DECA will benefit her in the corporate world. Ashley said, "Being a member of DECA has taught me better people skills, better time management and various aspects of the business industry. I love everything about DECA. I love business, and this club gave me a great outlet to practice real-life business skills. I've met some of my best friends through this organization and have made great connections I will carry into the future."
Ashley's tip for someone interested in joining the group is not to expect great results initially. "It takes time to grow and learn how to be the best competitor." The person Ashley admires most is her father. "He always pushes me to be the best. He encouraged me to continue to pursue academics and DECA."
Ashley is an accomplished young woman. In her sophomore, junior and senior years, she was the DECA district finalist, won the District Top Test award, and the District DECA Judges. Her persistence paid off, and she became the DECA Michigan State Champion Business Solutions in her senior year while serving as the vice president of the BHS DECA program. Ashley was a National Honor Society member and the president and founder of the Math Honors Society. She also loved running track for the varsity team for seven years.
It was an immense pleasure to meet both young women. I was so impressed listening to them speak about their experiences with DECA and how the program taught them lifelong skills to carry forth into their future careers. They are bright, intuitive and goal driven. I have no doubt their future will be as impressive as they are!
Michigan DECA is supported by a grant from the Michigan Department of Education to the College of Engineering & Technology at Eastern Michigan University and has more than 6,500 members in 150 high schools and area career centers across the state. Michigan was one of 17 charter states to affiliate with DECA in 1947. Michigan has grown to be the ninth largest in terms of membership. Besides having a large membership, Michigan DECA is also an innovator in many ways. From competitive events to corporate partnerships, Michigan DECA always strives to provide its student members with as many opportunities as possible.
Throughout the year, high school members are offered the opportunity to participate in many conferences focusing on DECA's four main goals: vocational understanding, leadership development, civic consciousness and social intelligence. Members can attend the State Leadership Conference, district competitions, the State Career Development Conference, and represent the state of Michigan at the International Career Development Conference. The 2022 DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC) was held in Downtown Detroit from March 10 through 12, 2022. It hosted over 4,200 Michigan DECA members and advisors.
Neighbor Terri Fenelon sponsored Kaela's trip, allowing her to focus on competing for the event rather than worrying about the cost of attending. Kaela shares, "Terri was a huge support system and sponsored my trip! She has a huge heart and wanted to help me get the same life skills she did when she was a part of DECA when she attended Brighton High School." Other sponsors of Kaela include Doan Construction and Amy and Rodney Goble, owners of Legacy Center.
Ashley's trip was sponsored by Gus's, neighboring businesses, her parents and her grandparents. Leftover monies from all members were pooled together for all DECA members to enjoy an end-year pizza party, celebrating their club's accomplishments. Every member also received a DECA Yeti Cup to thank them for their team's hard teamwork and dedication!
During the state conference, Ashley and Kaela were able to meet DECA members from around the state, interact with critical business representatives, and compete for a chance to represent Michigan DECA at the International Career Development Conference. Before a DECA member can participate in the state conference, they must compete in the district conference, held online due to COVID-19. Each member is given a project and must produce a solution within 30 minutes. Kaela and her partner won the district competition based on their creativity.
Kaela and her partner chose Hospitality and Tourism Team Decision Making for their project. At the state conference, they were given a role play about a community upset about constructing a new hotel. A tree would need to be cut down to move forward with the build. The community was upset and protested in front of the construction site. Kaela and her partner were given 15 minutes to write a script and 15 minutes to role-play the solution. Their solution was to build a park for the community, rehome the tree and plant more trees for the district to enjoy. Once the hotel was built, there would also be employment opportunities available. Kaela and her partner presented the plan with a map design of the park and signed contracts and business cards for future reference. The presentation was a success and advanced Kaela and her partner to the international conference in Atlanta.
At the international conference, Kaela and her partner again chose Hospitality and Tourism. The project they were given was an extension of their role play at the state conference. The hotel wanted to attract more customers who were vacationing on cruise ships. They developed a plan to provide personal assistants who would accompany their clients to a designated entrance to the ship. The usual line to board the vessel is exceedingly long, and travelers wait to board in the hot sun for hours, but customers could avoid the main line by booking with their hotel. The personal assistants would also share information with the clients about services such as babysitting. The goal was to make the onboarding process as simple as possible. The judge was so impressed with their solution that he wanted to implement it as his own company!
Ashley chose Business Solutions for her project. She used the same project for both state and international conferences. The project scope included reaching out to a local business to determine a problem and creating a plan to rectify the issue and implement the solution. Ashley chose Gus's Carry Out, where she worked at the time. Gus's has three locations: Brighton, Hartland and Howell, with the latter two underperforming. Ashley developed a plan to increase revenue in both places, including a statement of the problem, project scope, project goals, and execution. Once the plan was completed, Ashley shared the information with her manager, and several suggestions were implemented in the company. The program was presented at the state conference and was chosen to participate in the international conference.
Kaela is the daughter of Lisa and Kevin Hoatlin and plans to attend Purdue University in the fall, where she will study nursing to become a nurse manager or a nurse practitioner. She is looking forward to participating in Greek life during college and possibly joining medical clubs. She feels she has an advantage over her peers because of her involvement in DECA. Kaela shared, "By participating in the DECA program, I have learned that professionalism includes positivity, supportiveness and perseverance."
Her advice for someone interested in joining DECA is, "Be an active member and be open to getting to know everyone you encounter." The person Kaela admires most is her father, who works in a leadership position in a business setting. She stated she looks up to him as a mentor because he is outstanding at his job. He takes the initiative, organizes the office and has relationships with all employees and customers while remaining professional. "He is the reason I have good people skills."
Kaela has accomplished a great deal during her high school career, including volunteering for the ChadTough Foundation Emma Thompson Tough 5K Run. She won DECA Emerging Leader and the Shining Star awards. She served as DECA vice president of logistics, student section leader, and Brighton kick-off mentor. Kaela was also the president and board member of the First Day of School Committee, was a student leader in the Red Cross Club and the Younglife and Wyldlife programs, and served on the BHS Health Occupations Advisory Board. She was one of only two members chosen by nurses, doctors and surgeons at hospitals such as St. Joe's! Kaela is also the president of the new club she launched at Brighton High School called HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America.) She is an accomplished scholar and member of the National Honors Society and served as the president of the Induction Committee. She also made time to play field hockey and tennis!
Ashley is the daughter of Jeannie and Cary Patterson. She plans to attend Michigan State University in the fall, where she will pursue a career in supply chain management. She also plans to join the MSU Collegiate DECA chapter and Greek life. Ashley believes her experience with DECA will benefit her in the corporate world. Ashley said, "Being a member of DECA has taught me better people skills, better time management and various aspects of the business industry. I love everything about DECA. I love business, and this club gave me a great outlet to practice real-life business skills. I've met some of my best friends through this organization and have made great connections I will carry into the future."
Ashley's tip for someone interested in joining the group is not to expect great results initially. "It takes time to grow and learn how to be the best competitor." The person Ashley admires most is her father. "He always pushes me to be the best. He encouraged me to continue to pursue academics and DECA."
Ashley is an accomplished young woman. In her sophomore, junior and senior years, she was the DECA district finalist, won the District Top Test award, and the District DECA Judges. Her persistence paid off, and she became the DECA Michigan State Champion Business Solutions in her senior year while serving as the vice president of the BHS DECA program. Ashley was a National Honor Society member and the president and founder of the Math Honors Society. She also loved running track for the varsity team for seven years.
It was an immense pleasure to meet both young women. I was so impressed listening to them speak about their experiences with DECA and how the program taught them lifelong skills to carry forth into their future careers. They are bright, intuitive and goal driven. I have no doubt their future will be as impressive as they are!