BY KYRA BACON
Fifteen DECA members competed at the 66th annual International Career Development Conference (ICDC) from April 28th through May 2nd in Salt Lake City, Utah.
DECA, a club for marketing students, had about 14,000 kids in attendance at the conference from all over the United States, and other countries such as Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, Japan, China and Germany.
To qualify for ICDC, members first had to place 12th or higher in their testing or written manual category at the district level and then 5th or higher at the state level of competition. States were held in Orlando at the beginning of March. Although, 26 DECA members qualified, only 15 attended, a drop-off from previous years.
“The expenses were really high, so a few couldn’t come,” DECA adviser Sherry Cardona said. “Every year depends on the location of the competition. If it’s really far away, the expenses go up, and there are more kids who can’t afford it.”
After arriving in Utah on Saturday, the DECA members explored the capital city for a few hours before the opening session, which was held that night. The session included a short speech from the CEO of Men’s Wearhouse, followed by a Cirque de Soleil show and MTV Jabbawockeez. Testing was divided by category, taking place all of Sunday morning and afternoon. Role playing and business plan presentations were held on Monday and the winners were announced on Tuesday in the Jazz Arena, where the NBA’s Utah Jazz play.
“It was a very cool experience seeing the arena where the competitions were held filled with thousands of DECA kids,” DECA advisor Brian Chalk said. “DECA helps prepare kids early in high school for work they might do after college. It’s great being a part of a club that helps kids so early in their life. I’m very proud of the students because they were willing to put in the effort and it paid off.”
IDCD was an especially great experience for underclassmen in DECA.
“ICDC was a really fun and amazing experience,” sophomore Persis Bhadha said. “I really learned a lot and I felt like I really did something worthwhile. I was really happy to be a part of the small group that got to go.”
Although nobody from CCHS placed in the finals, senior Drew Hacker placed in the top 20, internationally, in his testing category and won a medal.
“Even though there was a small group this year, it was still a lot of fun,” CCHS’s DECA President Jeremy Rosenstein said. “Having fewer kids made it easier to travel around and sight-see. We actually rented mini-vans and even toured the mountains. Also, I think our group bonded and became closer because we didn’t have as many members come.”
Next year, ICDC will be held in Anaheim, California.
“The best advice I can give to kids who want to go to ICDC next year is to start early,” Chalk said. “As soon as we come back to school, figure out what you want to compete in, and then start practicing for that competition. The earlier you start in the school year, the more prepared you’ll be.”
