A Vicksburg High School junior is headed to an international business education competition.

Charles Brown III, 17, the son of Patricia and Charles Brown II, placed third in the entrepreneurship category at state DECA conference. DECA is a national organization for high school students who are interested in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. The international contest will be April 18 in Anaheim, Calif.

“When I went to state, I was nervous — but I knew I did good,” said Charles, who developed a comprehensive mock plan to start his own business — Brown’s Funeral Home. Charles, who is part of Hinds Community College professor Donna Cook’s marketing class, said his idea came when he realized that people will always need funeral services.

In Charles’ mock business plan, he said the funeral home would need at least four funerals a month to maintain the business. With the help of Riles Funeral Home, Charles created a visual blueprint of his business, complete with a chapel, two viewing rooms, an office, an embalming room and a sitting room.

The plan, written under Small Business Administration and DECA guidelines, included a proposed budget plan, a cost list and charts. The slogan is “It’s Our Pleasure to Please You.”

Described by Cook as “a quiet and a cordial student,” Charles plans to attend a two-year mortuary school in Texas, then Jackson State University for a degree in secondary education. He hopes to be a school principal.

Charles is a second officer in DECA and a VHS liason for Hinds, which offers vo-tech classes to high school students. He is also a football player.

“Every one of my students will have the basics to own their own business, whether it’s retail or e-commerce,” said Cook.

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Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchanprasith@vicksburgpost.com.