Teens Battle with Bilingual Business Skills

PROVO, Utah – Mar 11, 2016 – Utah high schoolers proved they learned more than, ‘Como está?’ from their Spanish classes at the Global Management Center’s High School Business Language Competition.

This year a total of 15 teams from local high schools were tasked with creating marketing plans for Altra Footwear’s Olympus 2.0 trail running shoe. The students presented their ideas, which were tailored to Utah’s Hispanic community, to a panel of judges entirely in Spanish.

“This competition is significant because it gives high school students a taste of how their language skills can help in future careers,” says Laura Ricks, GMC program coordinator and competition organizer. “It puts their skills to the test in a real-life project, getting them to start thinking about the possibilities of international business before they even begin college.”

The competition is largely funded by the GMC’s Center for International Business Education and Research grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant, which has been given to Brigham Young University and only 16 other universities in the country, is designed to foster an interest in global business among students of all ages

“I have been really impressed at the quality of the business plans these students put together,” Ricks says. “Although they are still in high school, I feel that many of the plans are at the same level as those created by undergraduates. They also add an element of fun and excitement to the competition by coming up with really creative ideas.”

A small cash price was awarded to the students in each of the top three teams. Orem High School came in first winning $600, with American Fork High School placing second receiving $300 and Skyline High School taking third and $100.

“This means a lot to our team,” says Amy Kutsulis, adviser for the winning Orem team. “We have participated in the competition five times and this was our first win, so we were so excited and surprised. It’s such a great opportunity for our students to get experience and use their Spanish.”

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems and public management. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,300 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.