Three Mercer Island students had top 10 international finishes during the recent DECA International Career Development Conference. The conference was held in Salt Lake City at the end of April.

Olivia Rosen and Emily Morse earned second place in the world for their marketing communications case study, while Alberto Gonzalez finished in the top 10 in the world for his human resources role-play.

The MIHS students joined over 15,000 students from around the world in the competition comprised of a written test, followed by a role play of a business scenario that they were assigned only 10 to 20 minutes before going on stage.

Rosen and Morse worked together on a plan to improve sales of professional clothing attire for young men, while Gonzalez was given the task of improving a company strategy for dealing with employee grievances.

All three said they were prepared for the competition, but found it a challenge to present in front of so many people.

“I was nervous,” said Emily Morse. “But there was great energy and it was exciting to be around so many students from all over the world. We had a great time.”