Last week, sixteen DECA students traveled to Corpus Christi to compete in the Career Development Conference. The Flower Mound competitors returned home with growing team support and successful results.
“This year, everyone from Flower Mound High School who competed at the district level advanced to the state level in Corpus Christi,” senior DECA president Kerry Nicholls said.
Seniors Rachel Malamut and Haley Piper were finalists in Advertising Campaign and Promotion. Seniors Clark Houser, Sankeith Kichena, and Parker Nagle were finalist in Sports and Entertainment Marketing Promotion.
MVP goes to senior Ahmad Prince who qualified for The International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, California in Quick Serve Restaurant Management.
“We went into the competition with great attitudes,” senior member Taylor Rarick said. “Even though most of us did not move on, we are all supportive of those who did.”
The CDC is a conference for students in DECA that have a presentation, business plan, or a business dilemma that needs to be solved. The conference not only provides a professional learning environment for students, but also a chance to relate to people interested in marketing and management.
“It forces you to socialize, and learn how to handle real world situations,” Nicholls said. “DECA helps you learn how to relate to people, problem solve, and become a leader.”
Nicholls wants to help DECA reach for even higher goals. She would like to extend the learning environment by holding more fundraising events to create more opportunities for guest speakers, trips, and competitions.
“I believe that the most important goal is to spread awareness of DECA,” Nicholls said. “I want more students to be involved. DECA is open to anyone who wants to gain knowledge while having fun.”
DECA members plan to make the best of the rest of the school year by supporting Ahmad all the way through Internationals. They strive to set examples as leaders in our society and continue through college to better the marketing community.
