Arlington, Virginia – From Thursday, November 20th, to Sunday, November 23rd, over 60 Harker students competed in DECA’s Ultimate Power Trip. This event kicked off the 2025-2026 season and served as the first conference for many DECA members, giving them valuable competitive experience. Through workshops with keynote speakers, roleplays, and testing, students connected with one another and built skills to use for their next competitive conference. 

“Power Trip is an excellent way for first year DECA members to become familiar with the conference culture and truly understand what DECA is all about. It’s amazing to see the freshmen's excitement, and I’d say Power Trip was one of my favorite trips” said Eden Kelly, VP of Public Relations at Harker DECA. 

On Thursday, November 20th, the Harker DECA chapter made its way to Arlington, Virginia, arriving at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, settling in for a night of rest to prepare for the conference.

‍Friday launched Power Trip, and the day began with a charter bus trip to Great Falls, a scenic local attraction, followed by a tour of Georgetown University, offering students insight into potential college plans. 

Later that day, students attended the Opening Session where over 2,500 DECA members gathered, creating an atmosphere of excitement and connection. Following introductions by National DECA Officers, students experienced a keynote presentation delivered by Eddie Slowikowski, who shared his inspiring journey.This keynote set an inspiring tone for the remainder of the competition.

"It gave us great bonding time as a chapter and helped everyone, especially freshmen, get a real sense of DECA and how roleplays work. Power trip was a perfect preview for the competitive season!” said Alrisha Chen, Director of Community Engagement. 

‍Day 2 of the conference kicked off with a chapter meeting within Harker DECA followed by a roleplay competition, where students had the opportunity to compete in a Marketing Communication Series (MCS) roleplay. Students then attended Leadership Labs led by Industry Professionals and student DECA Leaders. 

Harker DECA had the chance to organize one of these workshops, titled “Presentations 101,” led by the Harker DECA Competitions Team, Abby Sasche (11), VP of Competitions, Abby Wang (11), Director of Testing, Will Hou (10), Director of Roleplays, and Shiori Lin (10), Director of Pitch Decks. During this workshop, tips were given on how to successfully place at DECA’s International Career Development Conference. 

In the evening, students enjoyed DECA After Dark event, an energetic social event designed to help members unwind and connect after a full day of competition. Students boarded charter buses for a narrated tour through Washington D.C., taking in the city’s iconic monuments while learning historical facts along the way! The experience gave students a unique chance to connect with fellow members while exploring the nation's capital. 

Sunday marked the final day of the conference, where DECA members gathered for the Closing Ceremony, during which DECA Regional Officers announced award recipients for roleplays. Attendees also heard from keynote speaker, Josh Sundquist, who delivered an inspiring message about his experience with perseverance. Harker DECA was one of the most competitive chapters, with seven members recognized for their outstanding achievements.

‍“It gave me a good opportunity to build strong connections with the freshmen. I was really touched by how committed they were to their competitive success” said Colin Li, Director of Technology.

Following the ceremony, the chapter celebrated by taking a group photo to commemorate the successful weekend. Overall, Harker DECA’s experience at Power Trip was truly memorable, as students enhanced their competitive skills while building connections with peers from across the country.

Top performers recognized during the Closing Session are as follows:

Marketing Communications Series (MCS)

Amishi Gupta (12)

Abigail Sasche (11)

Bazigh Tahirzad (11)

Arul Logesh (9)

Delal Sen (9)

Iris Wang (9)

Rebecca Ding (9)

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.

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Contact Information

To learn more about this story, please contact:

Sofe Jalil, Director of Communications

28sofej@students.harker.org

deca.harker.org

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