Austin, Texas – From Thursday, November 16th to Sunday, November 19th, over 50 Harker students flew to Texas to attend DECA’s Ultimate Power Trip. Marking the beginning of the 2023-2024 season, this event was Harker DECA’s first non-competitive conference designed to provide students with competitive tips and experience. Through workshops and keynote speakers, students bonded with one another and developed skills to prepare themselves for their next competitive conference.

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On Thursday, November 16th, Harker DECA made their way to Austin, Texas, and arrived at the Austin JW Marriott at night. Students got a good night’s rest to prepare for the first official day of the conference.

Friday kicked off Power Trip, and attendees attended Leadership Labs, workshops led by student DECA leaders. Harker DECA had the opportunity to organize one of these Leadership Labs, titled “Ultimate Guide to Competitive Success: Roleplays and Written Events 101,” led by Robinson Xiang (10), Director of Roleplays, and Sanaa Bhorkar (11), Vice President of Competitions.

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Later that day, students attended the Opening Session where over two thousand DECA members were gathered to kick off the weekend. After a brief introduction from the National DECA officers of each state at the conference, students listened to the keynote speaker, David Garibaldi. Garibaldi performed a live painting demonstration where the audience could observe his paintings come to life in real-time. 

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Day 2 of the conference started off with a role-play competition, where students had the opportunity to participate in a Marketing Communications Series (MCS) roleplay to showcase their skills. After role-plays, students attended more Leadership Labs including “The Corporate Heist”, a thrilling DECA-themed escape room, and “That’s so Fetch”, a conflict resolution workshop through the lens of Mean Girls.  

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During the evening, students had a chance to have fun at DECA After Dark, a high-energy social event to experience Austin like a true Texan. The Nightowls, a ten-piece live soul band, and The Aussie Wranglers, a premier Country-Western dance team, came to give a taste of authentic Texan culture.

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“It was a great way to experience Texas culture while simultaneously being able to bond with other DECA members from across the nation. The music, dancing, and ambiance really fostered such a fun-filled environment !” said Eden Kelly (10), Director of Engagement.

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Sunday marked the last day of the conference, starting with the Closing Ceremony. To begin the Closing Ceremonies, DECA Regional Officers announced the winners for Roleplays, Goosechase, and the Ultimate DECA Member. Harker DECA was one of the most competitively successful chapters in attendance at Power Trip, with 10 of our members being recognized for their skills.

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Top performers recognized during the Closing Session are as follows:

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Role-play Tournament

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Chloe Lee (12)

Claire Luo (12)

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Lauren Lin (11)

Gabriel Jacob Li (11)

Emily Mitnick (11)

Maya Affaki (11)

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Eden Kelly (10)

Yena Yu (10)

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Pascal Qin (9)

Sarah Wang (9)

Nathaniel Idicula (9)

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Following the ceremony, Harker DECA celebrated the victories of the conference by taking pictures of the entire chapter to commemorate the weekend. Overall, Harker DECA’s experience at Power Trip was unforgettable– students were able to network with like-minded peers from across the nation and develop the critical skills to aid them in becoming future leaders.

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“Power Trip was a great way for the freshmen to experience what a typical DECA conference would be like! The Harker DECA officer team and I could see that the freshmen came a long way since their first roleplay experience at DECA Launch in August. I'm really excited to see their performance at our next conference, SVCDC!” said Chloe Lee (12), Chief Executive Officer.