The DECA team is all business. After months of creating and working on projects, they prepare to head down to Florida to compete at Nationals.

Members of the DECA team are thrilled at the idea of traveling to the tournament, which is being held in Orlando, Florida on  April 29. While there, the team will not only compete in a tournament, but will also get the chance to spend time at fun places such as Disney World.

“I’m so excited,”said senior Niesha Berger. “We don’t have the whole itinerary yet, but it will be so much fun.” 

The members of the DECA team have been working extremely hard to make their way to this exciting competition.  While they study marketing during school, the class itself gives them little time to work on their business-related projects.  This forces them to give up precious free time to devote to DECA.

Junior Katie Nirenberg knows of this hard work and pressure firsthand. With two other students, she tirelessly worked from fall until spring on a project under the category of Written Entrepreneurship, for which she and her teammates had to create a company and write up a complete business plan for it. 

“We’ve worked once a week since November,” said Nirenberg.  “We’ve had a couple of all-nighters.”

Nirenberg is not the only DECA member who has doggedly worked their way to Nationals.  Junior Carla Williams and senior Emily McDougall, who compete in Business Services Operations Research, had to create a 30-page business manual and a presentation board for a company they created themselves.

“We met after school and on Saturdays. A lot of hard work goes into research, preparation, and proof-reading,” said McDougall.

This year, the Nationals group proudly holds 13 members, a greater number than in past years.  While the States groups have been shrinking over the years, the Nationals teams have slowly been growing.

DECA President Chelsea Miller appreciates this trend, as students now have more time to work with their advisors to perfect their intricate projects.

“Teachers had more time and a greater amount of attention to critique and sculpt us,” said Miller. 

Miller marvels at how close the team has come together to reach the impressive level of Nationals.  When she first joined DECA at the start of her high school career, the team members seemed distant from one another.  Now, they are closer than ever and are well-prepared for the challenges that lie ahead at Nationals. 

“We go out to dinner and talk on Facebook,” said Miller. “We all work together. It’s a family concept.”