Wilbraham & Monson Academy's Elizaveta "Liza" Biryukova '19 has no plans to open a record store.
For nearly 10 minutes on Jan. 12, though, and with no preparation allowed, Liza made her most professional pitch to do just that.
Liza must have been rather convincing in her unexpected role, earning second place in the Entrepreneurship Series at DECA District competition in Boxborough, Mass.
DECA is an international association that prepares high school and college students for leadership in the business field, such as entrepreneurship, finance, marketing and management.
Liza qualified for the district event following her performance on an exam she took for DECA in December. By placing second at the district event, Liza advanced to the state competition, which will be held March 8-10 in Boston.
At the district event, participants selected one of 28 categories in which they would like to compete. However, the specific subject matter wasn't given to the students until their respective turn, allowing for no preparation.
By placing second, Liza showed not only her knowledge in the entrepreneur field, but also her ability to think on her feet.
"I wanted to do well but I didn't know what my chances were so I was unsure whether I would get something or not," Liza said. "I had to analyze statistics and answer to some performance indicators.
"It's good to be second place."
For the state event, competitors will take an exam in February before taking on two role-playing scenarios in Boston.