This story was submitted by Lauren Lin, grade 11.
From Apr. 26-May 4, more than 36 members of the Harker DECA chapter attended the International Career Development Conference (ICDC), competing in their events with the hopes of winning international acclaim and DECA Glass. Chapters across the world gathered at the conference to display their professional growth, attend skill-building workshops, and network with like-minded peers.
“This year’s ICDC was an outstanding success, and it’s all thanks to the incredible support from our students, officers, chaperones, faculty, and parents! Their enthusiasm and dedication were truly the driving force behind the event’s success, making the entire weekend seamless and immensely enjoyable for everyone involved,” said senior Chloe Lee, Co-CEO of Harker DECA. “The collaborative effort and positive energy brought by each individual contributed to the sense of community throughout the conference.”
Before competition, Harker DECA visited Disneyland and California Adventure to relax and have fun. Many other chapters also went to the parks, so members were able to network and connect with DECA members from around the world.
Sunday morning, competitors headed to their testing sessions, after which members competed in the preliminary round of written event competition. Monday began with all roleplay events, including Individual Series, Principles, Personal Financial Literacy and Team Decision Making events. Harker DECA members also connected with members from other chapters in different states and countries.
The last day of the conference opened with the Achievement Awards Session, where the top two groups from each judge were announced. These finalists moved on to the next round of competition. The Achievement Awards Session was followed by the final round where the finalists competed for the coveted DECA Glass.
That night, students attended the Grand Awards Session, which showcases the winners in every event.
Harker’s finalists and winners from the conference are as follows:
1st Place: Shiven Balaji, grade 11, Business Services Marketing
4th Place: Maya Affaki, grade 11, Hotel and Lodging Management
5th Place: Claire Luo and Heidi Lu, both grade 12, Sports and Entertainment Team Decision Making
Claire Miao and Carol Song, both grade 12, Start-Up Business Plan
Nicole Dean, Beibei Shen and Abigail Sachse, all grade 9, Start-Up Business Plan
6th Place: Caleb Tang, Jonathan Wang and Bowen Xia, all grade 11, Franchise Business Plan
Aanya Shah, grade 10, Business Service Marketing
Edward Huang and Andrew Au, both grade 12, Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making
10th Place: Chelsea Xie, grade 9, Principles of Hospitality and Tourism