Deca students advance in competitions

Maria Granados, Reporter

Every year, students in DECA have opportunities to go head to head against other schools during their competitions.

These competitions allow students to demonstrate their knowledge in front of several judges, which often leads to students finding success that guides their future.

“[The students] are learning how to improve as they get older from attending the competitions,” DECA advisor and business teacher Robin Palmer said.

DECA has recently attended the district competition and will be moving on to participate at state level on Feb. 29 and March 1. Once awards are announced on March 1, students who placed in the top four of their events will continue on to nationals.

“We’ve taken a McClintock student to nationals for the last seven years so we’ve definitely had kids who qualify,” Palmer said.

Every level is run the same way, much of the difference being that each level is larger scale than the ones previous. Students have their assigned events, for which they are allowed time to prepare before meeting their judges.

“You know what to expect, and you can always work to improve or perfect yourself,” junior and DECA president Ray Abramusic said.

Competitions have something for everyone, with three categories and up to 35 different events. Categories include impromptu roleplay, prepared projects, and even online simulation games.

Students can choose between thinking of a solution on the spot in ten minutes, preparing and researching for a written paper, or competing entirely on their own in front of a computer.

“I really like the diversity of all the events, and how you can choose which competition suits your previous knowledge best,” Abramusic said. “Even if you can’t speak on the spot, you can compete in large premade presentations.”

DECA students often receive much-deserved praise from judges, and come out of competitions having improved their own skills for their own success in the future.