Being The First Ever "Marketing Elite of The Year" of Nueva Ecija

Last week, I was invited by the president of our class to attend a Marketing Quiz Bee at Central Luzon State University. Our house is located very close to the school, and I am one of the top-performing students in the marketing field. Additionally, my classmates were also present at the event, which is why I gave my approval. However, she informed me that non-officers were not allowed to attend the event, which initially disappointed me. But four days before the event, she told me that we were already eligible to enter due to various changes.

Preparing four days before the competition was one of the challenges that I experienced the whole week. Last Monday, our presidential officer told me that there would be an orientation to the event where they discussed the rules and regulations and the pre-registration. Last Tuesday, that officer added me to the group chat as an official participant. We had an online tutoring session on the reviewers he sent, followed by a self-learning session. Additionally, he provided us with a Google Form containing all potential quiz questions. Since those materials are not enough, I supplemented them by using AI to leverage my reviewing experience. Before the competition, we had an online tutorial where he advised us on how to get the most precise answer.

Competition

Before the competition

Before the quiz bee had started, I felt trembling in the air-conditioned venue in my seat as my heart raced with nervousness. But I suppose that's normal since we are 55 students battling for recognition as the first-ever Marketing Elite Champion. Therefore, you can't remove my mind that I couldn't get in the final round. Those students who participated are from different universities, such as PHINMA-Araullo University (my alma mater), MVGCI, WCC - NE, NEUST – Talavera Campus, and WUP. If you ask why there are no participants from CLSU, they say that they want to avoid the issues of cheating allegations.

During the competition (easy and medium)

In the easy round, there is a set of twenty (20) questions about the 4Ps of marketing. I remember that I almost lost hope since some students from other universities got 16-19 items correct while I only got 15. During an average round, we are presented with 15-item questions, each worth 3 points. These questions require critical thinking since they involve two statements, and we must determine whether each statement is correct or incorrect or if both are correct or incorrect. The questions can be a bit complex, so careful analysis is necessary to arrive at the correct answer. I'm not knowledgeable in those topics, so I only got 24 out of 45.

After that, the officers gave us some snacks and told us that we could take a break while tallying our scores. I'm not expecting too much since some students got 33 points from the medium round. All I wish during those times is all for the best. After a while, I'm flabbergasted since they finally announced the Top 20 who will advance to the Final round. Guess who will get advance from reaching the 14th place? None other than me! I might not be the highest among all the participants, but getting this achievement is already a big success. This time, we are currently in the Final Stage, which is composed of Identification. For every question that you answer, you will be getting worth 5 points.

During the competition (finals)

Based on the rules and regulations, we are all back to zero, and whoever gets the highest points will be hailed as the "Marketing Elite of the Year." Most of the questions from the Average round are not included in my study material, but I'm surprised that there are some questions included in the Difficult Round. I once mentioned to a close friend that the identification part seemed to be the easiest, although this may not be the case for everyone. I would have scored 40/50 if I hadn't missed the first question. Despite this, I still managed to get the highest score of 35/50, with the second-place scorer only getting 10/50. The third-place scorers will now have to compete in a Tie-breaker. The questions for the challenging round are 5 points each, though.

Announcement of Champion

After the tie-breaker round, we are so happy that we finally secured the Top 6 slots. This means that we swept most of the awards, and I dominated the whole participants, although I'm just a second year. We took a lot of pictures, and I'm sure that all the BSBA Faculty will be proud of us, especially me, who got the highest spot. I remember that the officers from CL wondered why I already knew those topics after I told them that I was only in my second year. Aside from that, my instructor sarcastically once said that I should already replace him. I was also informed to create a speech and an interview. Of course, those remarks are only their gestures of how much they are proud of me. I would also like to thank those individuals from our university who congratulated me a lot! This means a lot to me!

In the end, I was hailed as a champion for the first-ever MKTG+: Unmasking Marketing Elites! The collage above is one of the precious collections of my solo moments when they are already distributing the rewards and I'm also delivering my speech. While I was standing on stage, I was trying to process that I won this dream. Who wouldn't think that I would make it far? I didn't only receive a certificate for joining but also a championship with the title "Marketing Elite of the Year." Not only that, I also received a trophy and a cash prize worth Php. 1,500.00. Aside from the interview, the officers also invited me to be interviewed about how it feels to be the first-ever "Marketing Elite of the Year" Champion. This championship means a lot to me, especially how our school brought an overflowing gratitude for bringing this title.

Post-competition

After the event, I went to Jollibee to buy my family a bucket of fried chicken to commemorate one of the most enormous successes in my entire life. I also posted it in my story, and I've received a lot of congratulations from my Facebook Friends. Not only that, but I'm also grateful to our school organizations and even the publications from CLSU for giving an appreciating post about other participants, especially about me. I'm already expecting an overwhelming "Congratulations" from our instructors and my classmates, and I would like to say thank you for those compliments.

CLSU Collegian Post

JUNIOR MARKETING ASSOCIATION - PAU Post

BSBA & Entrepreneurship - Phinma AU Post

PHINMA AU Center for Student Development and Leadership Post

I want to post my professors' and dean's remarks, but I guess that I should value their privacy!

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