After advancing from regionals in January, many DECA students will show off their marketing, finance, hospitality, and management skills at their state competition in Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center on Friday.
“We had 46 out of 74 people advance to state, which is more than half of our competitors,” junior Anvi Saxena said. “I personally enjoyed talking to all the written event competitors before and after their events. Their hard work and determination really paid off, and I loved cheering every one of them on.”
District winner and sophomore, Ayush Dane, has been working hard alongside his partner to perfect his group submission in hopes of getting to DECA’s international competition, ICDC.
“I was shocked when I heard I was going to DECA state for the first time,” Dane said. “Since the last competition in January, me and my partner have been very focused on our written event project and have worked very hard to tweak and adjust our submission based on the comments left by our judge. We have both worked to memorize our presentation and make it as memorable as possible to hopefully secure our spot at ICDC.”
On the role-playing side of the competition, DECA students are still making it a priority to study with junior Ashvita Kumar focusing on nailing performance indicators.
“This year, I am participating in the accounting application series role-play event,” Kumar said. “I have prepared for my event by taking notes on my topic, and really studying and focusing on those performance indicators which serve as a rubric for role-plays. Along with this, I am currently enrolled in an accounting course on campus which really helps me prepare.”
Although competition might seem overwhelming for many, the location offered by this year’s state event offers a unique opportunity to explore a new city and make meaningful connections for some competitors.
“I am most looking forward to being in a new city and exploring and experiencing that with my friends and of course, competing,” sophomore Meenal Ahlawat said.
