RAYMOND — Two East Mississippi Community College students who competed in the Mississippi DECA Winter Leadership Conference and Competition in Raymond qualified to represent Mississippi in the international competition in Anaheim, Calif., next month. Both of the students are enrolled at EMCC’s Lion Hills Center.

EMCC student Liz Ward of Starkville took first place in the category of Entrepreneurship: Growing Your Business at the competition that took place March 6-7 in Raymond. Ward, who graduated last year from EMCC’s Business & Marketing Management Technology program, is now working toward a second degree at EMCC in Hotel & Restaurant Management.

EMCC student Drew Hoyt of New Hope took second place in the category of Business Research and will also advance to the international competition. Hoyt is enrolled in EMCC’s Culinary Arts program.

Three EMCC students in the Culinary Arts Technology program also qualified last November to compete in the international competition. 

Larry Brownlee of Columbus, Robert Colbert of West Point and Josh Fountain of Utica earned top honors at the 2016-17 Collegiate DECA Mississippi competition held Nov. 15-17 at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. The trio beat out 13 other teams across the state to take top honors in the Culinary Arts division of DECA’s annual Career Development Conference.

Nearly 1,000 DECA students will compete in the international competition that will take place April 19-22 at the Hilton Anaheim Hotel.

“I am really proud of these students,” EMCC Culinary Arts Technology program instructor Shannon Lindell said. “They have worked really hard and are excited about representing EMCC and the state of Mississippi.”