Anaheim, California– From Friday, April 26th, 2024 to Wednesday, May 1st, 2024, over 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 Chloe Lee (12), Co-CEO of Harker DECA. “The collaborative effort and positive energy brought by each individual contributed to the sense of community throughout the conference.” 

‍

Friday afternoon, after attending a full school day, students and chaperones were bussed to SJC to make their way down to Anaheim. After arriving at the airport, members were driven to the Disneyland Hotel, where Harker DECA would stay during the duration of the conference. 

‍

After checking into their rooms and registering for the conference, all attendees proceeded to their rooms and got some well-deserved rest before Disney the next day.

‍

Saturday morning, Harker DECA members headed to Disneyland and California Adventure to relax and have fun before competitions. Many other chapters also went to the parks, so members were able to network and connect with DECA members from around the world. Finally, the Opening Sessions concluded the day by introducing the state officers from every participating region, the ceremony ending with the presentation of the California State Officer Team, who were hosting the conference.

‍

Sunday morning, competitors headed to their testing sessions for the following clusters: Hospitality, Business and Administration, Finance, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship. Following testing, 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. Between their scheduled event times, Harker DECA members connected with other DECA members from other chapters in different states and countries.

‍

Following roleplays, Harker DECA held a chapter meeting at 7:00pm, then curfew at 12:00am. 

‍

Tuesday marked the last full day of the conference. The day opened with the Achievement Awards Session where the top 2 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 would showcase the winners in every event.  

‍

The finalists and winners from the conference are as follows:

‍

1st Place:

Shiven Balaji (11), Business Services Marketing

‍

4th Place:

Maya Affaki (11), Hotel and Lodging Management

‍

5th Place:

Claire Luo (12), Heidi Lu (12), Sports and Entertainment Team Decision Making

Claire Miao (12), Carol Song (12), Start-Up Business Plan

Nicole Dean (9), Beibei Shen (9), Abigail Sachse (9), Start-Up Business Plan

‍

6th Place:

Caleb Tang (11), Jonathan Wang (11), Bowen Xia (11), Franchise Business Plan

Aanya Shah (10), Business Service Marketing

Edward Huang (12), Andrew Au (12), Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making

‍

10th Place:

Chelsea Xie (9), Principles of Hospitality and Tourism

‍

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.

‍

Contact Information

To learn more about this story, please contact:

Eden Kelly, Director of Engagement

26EdenK@students.harker.org‍

deca.harker.org

‍