After multiple drafts and practices, DECA students competed at states, and many earned the opportunity to advance to internationals in Anaheim California, but their work is not done.
On March 13, 2024, students attended DECA states. It was a four-day conference where on Thursday they presented their work to the judges and Saturday select students were called up on the stage to obtain either a medal for their works or the glass and advance to internationals. However, advancing to internationals is not the end of the experience.
“We are currently reviewing their papers,” DECA Advisor Jennifer Milke said. “Students have had me, parents and teachers give feedback to improve their work. They’ll continuously practice with alumni and business people to improve their script and when we get there hopefully make it to the stage. We’re also going to have them record themselves so it can help them to hear what their presentation sounds like. We can use them in the future for other students to see how finalists compete.”
Students have been working endlessly since the beginning of the school year and some even longer.
“My partner Carla and I began our project last September and have practiced daily leading up to the state conference,” senior Ava Queener said. “We are very excited to compete in California and continue our fight for a top spot.”
The environment has students who truly put in all their attentiveness and have been able to show off their work and effort.
“DECA has been my favorite part about high school,” senior Alex Allen said. “I loved getting to meet new people, work with others, and travel to new places. It has allowed me to expand my knowledge about the business world and help me network with professionals. Last year, I was able to go to Florida and compete. This year, I qualified for internationals again and will be competing in Anaheim, California. I am so excited for the opportunity, and I can’t wait to meet more people from all over the world and country. To prepare for this trip, my partners and I have been working hard for months to place in the top 5 at the state conference. We ran several fundraisers, wrote a 20 page paper and held a 15 minute presentation about our project. We raised over $13,000 towards our school’s DECA chapter and are beyond happy to share this experience in California. We practice weekly and make sure we are ready for Internationals.”
Adrenaline shooting through the room, the 21 finalists took a photo marking their accomplishments and head back to school to continue preparing to take their project to the next stage to experience the difference.
