DECA students have officially wrapped up this year’s journey with their trip to the International Career Development Conference in Anaheim.  

“Liberty had around 10 people attend DECA this year, pretty much like last time,” junior and co-vp of written events Anvi Saxena said. “We had a nice mix of Academy kids and competition kids. We earned our Academy spots by doing chapter campaigns, hosting events throughout the year to tighten our community and spot standout members. Plus, securing a spot at the Texas case challenge was a real honor. Even though one winner couldn’t make it, it was still valuable for the rest of us.”

Sophomore Ayush Dane attended the Thrive Academy at ICDC as part of the Emerging Leaders program in which he had the opportunity to connect with many other students and gain skills while discoverings new perspectives. 

“I got the amazing opportunity to attend the Thrive Academy at ICDC as a part of the Emerging Leaders program,” Dane said. “It all started when I applied through an application shared by the officers, and after an interview, I was lucky enough to be selected. This experience was amazing. I met incredible people from all corners of the globe. We went to about six or seven sessions, each led by a business leader who shared insights to help us chase our dreams. It was more than just learning; it was about discovering new perspectives and gaining valuable skills for life.”

Preparing largely by taking practice tests to comprehend multiple-choice questions and studying performance indicators is how sophomore competitor Ramya Hariharan fine-tuned her roleplay responses.

“The event I competed in was Restaurant and Foodservice Management,” Harharan said. “It falls under the Hospitality and Tourism cluster and primarily contains role plays based on working in the service industry and working to create new and unique marketing strategies. To prepare I primarily went over practice tests that gave me a rough idea of what the multiple choice questions would be like and studied the performance indicators to prepare my responses for the roleplay section.”

Sophomore Ayush Dane attended the Thrive Academy at ICDC as part of the Emerging Leaders program in which he had the opportunity to connect with many other students and gain skills while discoverings new perspectives. 

“One of the things that really stuck with me from ICDC was how it opened doors to new connections and friendships,” Dane said. “I found myself getting closer to people in ways I hadn’t imagined before. It hit me that life’s too short not to enjoy every moment. But what really hit home for me was the value of networking and socializing. It wasn’t just about meeting new people; it was about building confidence, forming new bonds, and seeing life differently.”