Preparation is a key part of the process when going to the DECA State Career Development Conference. From memorization to presenting in front of a panel of judges, it all comes down to how they perform in that room. DECA is an association of high school students who are planning careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. Michigan DECA has more than 9,000 members in 160 high schools and career centers across Michigan (mideca.org).
Students involved in DECA have their conference on March 13th-15th. Furthermore, students have role-plays where they have to study for a test and master their category of choice. There are also written events, that are prepared events and can be creative with design elements using Canva and Word. For example, some of these events include School Based Enterprise, Advertising Campaign, and Project Management events. They are also presented in front of a panel of judges, the same as students doing role-plays.
Seniors Lucas Younan and Julian Namo are partnered for their role-play about entrepreneurship team’s decision-making. Already presenting in Lake Orion for the district conference, they are trying to improve their role-play for the second time in Detroit. Both Younan and Namo have experience in the field of entrepreneurship, so that gives them an upper hand with all their knowledge about the topic.
“I chose the entrepreneurship topic with my partner Julian Namo for our role play because we want to be in the field and Julian already has a clothing business,” Younan said. “We work well together because we are good friends and already have a good connection which helps our presentation overall. This also helped us get through from districts in Lake Orion and go to the state conference.”
While seniors like Younan and Namo focus on entrepreneurship, underclassmen are also working hard to prepare for the state conference. Sophomore Ava Piazza, competing in the retail merchandising role-play category, is tackling her first year in DECA with determination and a clear focus on improving her performance.
“This being the first year I have ever done a role-play I was learning how to study the correct methods through Quizlet and practice tests on the DECA.org website to achieve a good score on the test,” Piazza said. “I also am working on for the State Conference to not talk with my hands because a judge pointed it out in the previous conference. I am making sure to practice talking on the “fly” which is one of my strengths when presenting a role-play.”
Another pair participates in the travel and tourism team decision-making category. Juniors Alayna Collins and Isabella Camaj together have been working to refine their skills and ensure they perform their best at the state conference.
“To prepare for the state conference both Isabella Camaj and I present with Mrs. Boice and Mrs. Mydlaz to make sure we are as prepared as possible when we get the role-play that day,” Collins said. “In doing so we try to memorize everything possible and communicate with each other using proper indicators.”
Seniors Yvette Orlowski and Nickolas Welch are focusing on their DECA research paper on Utica’s school store, meeting specific requirements to impress the judges at the state competition. Making specific parts of their paper unique to stand out.
“Our whole presentation is on the customer profile, so it’s deciding who comes in the store,” Orlowski said. “Our four different target markets are students, staff, parents, and alumni. We must describe each one and the four segments in depth: psychographics, demographics, behavioral characteristics, and geographics.”
The presentation process requires careful preparation, which Nickolas Welch approaches with a focus on collaboration and refinement. For him, repetition and adaptability are key to a strong performance.
“We type the script together and then we practice it and read it out together, and there’s a lot of changing of it,” Welch said, “so after plenty of times reading it, it’s kind of easy to memorize it. I personally like using note cards with keywords on it, so I know exactly what to say.”
A lot of hard work and dedication goes into the DECA State Career Development Conference. From being prepared to present in front a panel of judges and saying the right indicators, they also must think on their feet and hit every point that the judges want to see. For example, a written event such as School Based Enterprise has to hit all of their components of the paper and recall it to the judges. For either category if they get on stage, they get an amazing opportunity of attending the International Conference in Orlando, Florida.
