Ninety-three Mercer Island High School students have qualified to compete in the Washington State DECA Career Development Conference March 2-4 in Bellevue.

They are among 179 students from Mercer Island High School who competed in DECA’s Area 3 event in January with 1,000 other students from local area high schools. MIHS has the fifth largest DECA chapter in the state. Teachers Jennifer McLellan and Shannon Tapp are the chapter’s co-advisors.

DECA is an international student organization that provides real-world experiences to students who aspire to become entrepreneurs and business professionals. Students describe how they would tackle business case studies, judged by business professionals. They also submit written or creative projects that have included international business plans, innovative entrepreneurship plans and ad campaigns.

Fifteen MIHS students qualified in more than one event.

“Congratulations to these students,” said Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano. “They have grown to new heights because of their teachers’ dedication, tenacity and mentorship. They are learning and practicing valuable life-long lessons about leadership, creativity, innovation and collaboration.”

More than 4,000 students from across Washington are expected to compete at the state competition. The next step after state is the International DECA competition in April in Anaheim, California.