By: Staff Writer Iyesha Puri
35 MSJ students competed at the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta, Georgia from May 3-6. Students who placed top four in their competitive events at the state level conference held at the Anaheim Marriott in February competed with about 17,000 DECA students.
Students came from all over the United States as well as from Canada, China, and Germany. Close to 50 events ranging from individual roleplays to team events and team chapter events aimed to enhance the education of students with interests in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship.
19 MSJ students advanced to finals, placing among the top 20 in their respective events, and five placed within the top 10 in their events. Those who placed among the top four were specifically recognized. Seniors Ishan Goyal and Bryan Yan and Sophomore Shivam Patel took second in a team chapter event, an event limited to one team per chapter. As part of the Creative Marketing Project, the team explored ways to utilize the forum-based website, Reddit, as a source for supplementary education outside of the conventional classroom setting. In addition, the team created a subreddit for MSJ DECA, used to post notifications regarding upcoming conferences and resources for competitions. Junior Anup Krishnamaraju placed fourth in the Virtual Business Challenge under the restaurant category. In this event, participants used highly visual simulation software to manage a business and competed to earn the highest profit.
“ICDC was an amazing experience. We got to meet passionate DECA members from all over the United States and even Canada. DECA has helped me grow exponentially as both a leader and an individual, and ICDC was the experience of a lifetime,” said Junior Sanaea Kakalia, officer at MSJ DECA. Senior Amy Huang, MSJ DECA President, cherishes memories from her last DECA conference, “DECA ICDC 2014 was the experience of a lifetime and I am extremely proud of everyone in MSJ DECA who participated. Thank you all for giving me the best last conference I could have dreamed of!”
Photos: Courtesy of Amy Huang
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