When Bobby Konnight read about the SCTCC Collegiate DECA students who were headed to nationals, he knew he had help out. The St. Cloud Subaru General Manager had taken classes at SCTCC years ago, and he knew how much the experience helped him.
Konnight contacted instructor Becky Shand and told her he was going to donate $3,600 for the three Marketing Sales Management students headed to Baltimore April 9-12: Annalisa Gieser, Colby Peterson, and Joe Schreier.
“When I found out that someone I had never met is willing to invest into us students, that was amazing,” said Peterson. “It shows us students that if you work hard, it will pay off in the end. The Donation from Bobby Konnight of Subaru has allowed me to compete at a collegiate level in something that I have a passion for at the national level against students across the United States.”
Gieser, Peterson, and Schreier allac competed at the Minnesota State Career Development Conference Feb. 17-18, where they placed first and second in different categories. When they compete at the national level, they join more than 800 other DECA members to compete for top international honors in 25 different competitions. Collegiate DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. The SCTCC Collegiate DECA team is coached by Marketing Sales Management instructor, Becky Shand.
“DECA affords students personal and professional growth beyond the classroom. When former students reach out to help future graduates it is amazing!” said Shand. “They get to relive their DECA experiences and pay it forward through their success.”
Shand has seen many of her students give back to her program and the college after they’ve graduated. The support and help, both financially and through internships and mentorships, has shown how important SCTCC is to its graduates and the St. Cloud community.
Shand summed it up well: “I cannot begin to tell you what it meant to these students to have this kind of support from someone who sat in the same chairs they did. Truly incredible!”