Nine students from Wausau West High School recently represented Wisconsin at DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Pranav Srivastava, Jarod Maxson, Lizzy Marciniak, Emma Rauman, Grace Masanz, Isabella D’Burke, Christian Kiepke, Mikahla Klug, Bobby McGucken, and Advisor Carl Hert attended. Wausau West was awarded National Gold Certification for their school-based enterprise, West-Side Connection, for providing work experience leading to management, supervision, and leadership skills.
Wausau West DECA also received chapter awards for their Thrive level 2017-2018 Membership and Chapter Campaigns, based off of student membership and community service and promotional events.
During the school year, approximately 120,000 of DECA’s 225,000 student members take part in the organization’s competitive events program, allowing them to compete for local and regional titles. The competitions are designed to simulate real-life business scenarios and test students’ academic understanding and skills development.
The top state and provincial winners put their talents to the test during the program’s final round of competition in Atlanta. The DECA International Career Development Conference was the pinnacle of competition where nearly 14,000 students vied for international honors. Over $500,000 in scholarships and awards were presented to students and teachers for their achievements.
This year’s conference featured a record-breaking 20,000 members and advisors in attendance, DECA’s largest conference to date. In addition to career-based competition, DECA members engaged in leadership academies and networking opportunities with over 60 internationally recognized businesses.
ABOUT DECA:
DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. DECA enhances the preparation for college and careers by providing co-curricular programs that integrate into classroom instruction, apply learning, connect to business and promote competition.
