Bearden’s Virtual Enterprise has put in a lot of effort into preparing for this year’s regional competition. Because of their dedication and hard work, they were able to place in the top two teams, qualifying them to compete at state.

“We spent a lot of time on our presentation, and to know we placed as one of the top feels good,” VE accountant and senior Youssif Albaba said. “I can’t wait to compete for state.”

The state competition will be held on Wednesday. It will include the top six teams from Tennessee, which includes two teams each from East, West, and Middle Tennessee. 

Bearden’s team will leave in the morning on Wednesday and travel to Murfreesboro to present in the Rutherford County Board of Education conference room, where the competition is held. A panel of industry professionals, whose identities are not revealed until the day of, will judge the competition. All six chosen teams present at this level. It begins with their prepared presentation, which cannot be longer than 10 minutes. Afterward, there is a five minute Q&A, and they are given feedback.

This is only the first level of the state competition. After this, the top three teams are selected from the group, and they move on to an auditorium-based presentation, where they repeat the process at a higher level. 

From this point, one top team is chosen to advance to the national level in New York in April. 

“In the past, they took the top two teams,” VE teacher Mrs. Jami Aylor said. “But due to COVID restrictions in New York for gatherings, they are trying to minimize the amount of teams they invite.”

This single winning team will be invited to present at the Microsoft Office Center. 

“I feel really confident about this upcoming competition,” CEO and senior Bradynn Belcher said. “I am really excited to see all of our hard work pay off.

“I know that no matter what happens, I am going to be so proud of how much we have accomplished.”