Last week, ten students took a 3 day trip to Lake Geneva for the state career development conference for DECA. These students have been working hard to prepare for their written tests and business scenario role plays since December after they competed in Districts. 

The students went to different sessions during some of the days to learn more about the business world and  they got to hear about different ways of marketing, starting up a business, leadership training, etc. During their time in Lake Geneva they also got to attend a sophisticated dinner, go to a dance, go swimming, and meet new people. 

“This was my first year going to state and I really enjoyed it overall. It was fun to hangout with people in the chapter, and also make new friends from other schools. “ sophomore Audrey Cullen said.

For many, DECA conferences are most memorable to them because of the experience of being there and being able to talk to and meet so many new people from all over the state. 

“Making connections at DECA events is always so easy, because mainly everyone there is super extroverted. It’s truly such a special environment, because it’s like you’re in a space with 2,000 other people who basically have the same mindset as you, making it a very comfortable and fun time.” senior Annamarie Murphy said.

A handful of students, Zayd Cartenga, Leo Gamboa, Laney Eggert and Noah Thompson scored very high on their tests and are headed to Anaheim, California, for the national competition in less than two  months.

“This was my first time at state, but I feel like we spent a lot of time preparing for it over the past few months. So I wasn’t too worried going into it, just being confident is really the biggest thing,” said sophomore Zayd Cartagena, “I got 6th place in my series, so I will be going to ICDC. I’m super excited, but I will have to put in more work since it’s a harder level of competition.

“I am beyond proud of all the students that competed in state, each of them put in time and effort to prepare, and it shows in the results.” said DECA advisor and teacher Andrew Muszytowski, “I’m looking forward to ICDC, and watching the students do well.”

Overall, the students had a great time at the conference, and for some of them, the hard work they’ve been putting in will continue on until April when they arrive in California.