This article was prepared by Shania Wang, grade 10, Harker DECA director of communications.

In early January, DECA chapter members competed in the 2017 Silicon Valley Career Development Conference (SVCDC). With 51 finalists and 23 top three winners, Harker earned first place in terms of wins per capita.

In preparation for SVCDC, the chapter held weekly study sessions in the Innovation Center to give members a chance to work on their testing, role-plays and written presentations. This year also continued the the officer mentorship program, which helped many new members in their competitive excellence.

“This SVCDC marks Harker DECA’s best in terms of competition, with our highest numbers of finalists and winners,” said Shreyas Chandrashekaran, grade 11, Harker DECA vice president of competitions and strategy. “There definitely are still areas for our students to improve in, so I look forward to seeing their growth and development in the future.”

Check out these results, as well as the event video!

     First Place

• Derek Kuo, grade 11, Professional Selling
• Enya Lu and Shania Wang, both grade 10, Innovation Plan
• Nishka Ayyar and Riya Gupta, both grade 10, Independent Business Plan
• Bryan Wang, grade 9, Principles of Finance
• Vedant Shah grade 11, Automotive Services Marketing Series
• Enya Lu, grade 10, Business Finance Series
• Alexis Gauba, grade 12, Business Services Marketing Series
• Haley Tran, grade 12, Restaurant and Food Service Management Series
• Lucas Wang, grade 12, Personal Financial Literacy
• Rahul Mehta and Vanessa Tyagi, both grade 11, Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making

Second Place

• Bryan Wang, grade 9, Professional Selling
• Erin Liu, grade 10, Business Growth Plan
• Shaya Zarkesh, grade 11, Start-Up Business Plan
• Shreyas Chandrashekaran and Shaan Gagneja, both grade 11, Business Services Operations Research
• David Feng, grade 9, Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
• Reiya Das, grade 9, Principles of Marketing
• Mona Lee, grade 11, Apparel and Accessories Marketing Series
• Ria Gandhi, grade 12, Retail Merchandising Series
• Shreyas Chandrashekaran, grade 11, Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series
• Shea Tuli, grade 11, Personal Financial Literacy

Third Place

• Ria Gandhi, Haley Tran and Lucas Wang, all grade 12, International Business Plan
• Michael Sikand, grade 11, Automotive Services Marketing Series
• Chandan Aggarwal, Rakesh Nori and Jeffrey Liu, all grade 9, Independent Business Plan

Competitions began on Friday, with students taking written examinations. The opening ceremony, organized by Silicon Valley DECA’s District Action Team, followed, with the main feature being the annual talent show. Saturday consisted entirely of competitions. Students competed in their written event presentations and role-plays throughout the day at their assigned time.

“I experienced what it was like to be in a business-like environment, and it really helped me hone my skills and learn what to do in the future,” said Rakesh Nori, grade 9.

In the evening, students had free time, including the option to attend the DECA Dance. The conference came to a close on Sunday morning at the awards ceremonies. At Mini-Awards, Harker performed very well with a total of 59 teams placing.

Afterward, there was a conference-wide breakfast, followed by the Grand Awards Ceremony. Harker DECA’s energy and excitement was unmatched as the many Harker recipients walked on stage to receive their awards.

“I really loved seeing the enthusiasm and the hard work that the students put into it,” chaperone Byron Stevens said. “It was just great energy throughout the whole weekend.”

Overall, this year’s SVCDC was a huge success for Harker DECA. Students not only enjoyed their first conference of this year’s competitive season, but also had the opportunity to delve further into business and expand their network with new connections.

“I feel like this conference was a really great opportunity to compete and see their hard work pay off in real time,” said Alexis Gauba, Harker DECA’s co-CEO. “It was great for everyone to see their efforts rewarded, and I’m really excited to see how everyone is going to improve for the state conference.”

About The Harker School DECA

Harker DECA is an International Competitive Business Organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business, and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.