Freedom Area High School’s DECA team returned from their three day competition in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Friday, Feb. 28. Seven out of the fourteen that attended the statewide competition in Hershey are going to nationals. To qualify for nationals, the participants had to place fourth or higher. Medallions were also awarded. Medallions are obtained by earning the highest score on the tests or role-playing. Those who are attending the national conference were as follows: Senior Jennifer Wallis, Juniors Patrick Baker, Ryan Gray, Zach Kugel, Sophomores Reilly Collins, Louis Dubovi and Freshman Maddie Edder. These students will fly to nationals, which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, May 3-6.
According to DECA’s official website, DECA.org, “DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in the fields of marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.” Every year, DECA awards over $500,000 in scholarships to students around the nation. Freedom’s DECA club officers include Grey, Juniors Jamie Croll, Emily Allego and Sophomore Dereck Majors holding the positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary respectively.
“I really like DECA because it has helped me see what working in the business industry would be like. It’s really a lot of fun,” Edder said. “We had so much fun at states, and you get to meet new people and have a good time.”
At competitions, there is a variety of categories that students can compete in. They range from Hotel and Lodging Management to Business Law and Ethics. Other categories that people can compete in include Marketing Managements, Human Resources, Travel and Tourism, Business Finance and more. All categories are fields of work, so a student can get an idea of what that career is like before even graduating.
“DECA students are presenting solutions for actual problems they may encounter in the business world to professionals in these fields,” Sponsor Mrs. Beth Majors said.