Ellie Kim can’t seem to sit still. Nervously tapping her foot in a sea of thousands of high schoolers, she sits inside the Orlando conference hall waiting for the finalists in Business Services Marketing to be called. Slowly, one by one, categories are announced. Kim watches as small pockets of people in the conference hall erupt in cheers as others earn spots as finalists. Of course, Kim is happy for them: she claps as more and more people are announced, but as the names begin to go by, Kim can’t help but feel more and more nervous. This is the Distributive Education Clubs of America’s International Career Development Conference (DECA ICDC), a place where up to 17,000 other high schoolers from across the country compete within various categories in hopes of placing in the top three. The nerves Kim feels suddenly come to a screeching halt when it feels as if a spotlight shines down on her. “Ellie Kim,” the announcer calls, and she walks up to the stage.
For Ellie Kim, the win at ICDC was nothing new. One year prior, Kim found herself in a similar situation at the Technology Students Association’s States event at The College of New Jersey, qualifying for Nationals in the Extemporaneous Presentations Category as a freshman. According to Kim, “It was really incredible and shocking to qualify as a freshman! I tried [TSA] for fun, fell in love with it, and got incredible results, so that was very gratifying, and I was very thankful.”
Kim was well prepared to give a 5 minute speech in front of a panel of judges. Prior to TSA, Kim was an active participant in her middle school debate team and had 3 years of speech and debate experience under her belt. The TSA experience gave her a new appreciation for delivering speeches in a different context than debate. “It was definitely a different vibe than debate because it was less argumentative and more about talking and connecting with the audience, and I enjoyed the change a lot,” she said. That early success helped build the confidence that would later carry into her DECA journey.
Although Kim qualified as a finalist at ICDC, she didn’t place within the top three at Nationals. Despite not placing, her accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. According to Antonio Marino, advisor of DECA at NVOT, “At the national level, she was given top 10 recognition for both of her preliminary round role-plays; truly impressive for a first year DECA member.”
While Kim appreciates all the attention and accolades she received from qualifying for both events, she also acknowledges the sacrifice it took to make it this far. “I would stay up after we got back from events and studied through practice tests and rehearsing my role-plays in front of my friends,” Kim said. “This would happen after curfew and I would force my roommates to listen and give me feedback.”
Despite the challenge, Kim rose to the occasion. “DECA Nationals was nerve-wracking because of how high-stakes the competition was. It took a lot to get to that moment, and I wanted to make it count.”
This intense focus and competitive spirit comes to a surprise for many. Ariana Kim, a senior at NVOT and Ellie’s roommate at ICDC, states, “She initially struck me as very quiet. After spending some more time together, I began to see how hardworking she was, and she really impressed me with her public speaking abilities.”
This split between how she appears and who she actually is due in part to her intense focus and drive. Rather than trying to learn everything as quickly as possible, Kim likes to take a more tactical approach: “I ensured that I was only studying what I didn’t know and practicing skills that I was specifically weak at during my role-plays,” she said. “I’m 99% sure that is the only reason why I got as far as I did in both competitions. It’s AP season and we all have a ton going on.”
Kim never set out to join either TSA or DECA. “I got into DECA because I take marketing, and it seemed like a cool place to put the skills that I learned in class into practical applications,” she said. “I also really enjoyed the public speaking/presentation aspect of it because I’m involved in speech and debate, so the skill sets are very transferable.” What started as a spontaneous decision, she admits to picking “the first thing I saw” when choosing her competition category, quickly turned into a defining part of her high school experience and something that she came to enjoy and excel at. As someone who helps with debate coaching, she found herself applying business and communication strategies in real time. “I grew to enjoy Business Services Marketing, and thought it wasn’t something I originally planned to pursue, it’s definitely made me think differently about my future.” As she threw herself into competitions and late-nite prep sessions, she uncovered skills she didn’t know she had, and a passion for presenting, problem solving, and leading.
These unexpected opportunities have not only shaped her confidence but also began to influence what she envisions for her future. The future, once firmly pointed toward law school, is starting to shift. “I was very set on studying political science and then going to law school because I love sociology, debate, and the humanities,” she said. “But I’m also very interested in linguistics and have recently become more open to studying something in business.” She’s considering minoring in marketing, something she describes as both fun and a valuable life skill.
As Ellie looks toward the future, she does it with the same, calculated and controlled mindset she carries at each of her competitions. A defining journey can stem from a spontaneous choice. Ellie Kim is living proof that success doesn’t always come from a plan, but with quiet determination, sharp focus, showing up, stepping up, and daring to try.
