From Left to Right: Arden Jackson, Drew Jasper, Maggie Barnes, Mrs. Tarnowski, Madison Welch, Dani Lamoureaux
As spring brings the school year to a close, the esteemed Watauga High School DECA team looked forward to attending the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Orlando, FL from April 22 to April 25. ICDC is the complete culmination of the DECA year where almost 20,000 students, teachers, and professionals gather for days of competition and excitement. After a year of success, WHS DECA candidates were eager to compete and bring home awards.
Earning a spot at ICDC has required hard work and dedication from WHS DECA students. To compete, the club first had to qualify at the state competition of North Carolina.
“ICDC is an international competition. To be able to go you have to place in the top 5 in the state and you can qualify sometimes when you get 6th,” said senior Madison Welch. “There are a few other countries represented at ICDC and the number of people there is about 20,000. Being able to place in the top 6 in NC and compete against people from around the world isn't something everyone gets to do.”
ICDC holds a multitude of different events for various contestants. Some of these include sports marketing, team decision making, and personal finance literacy. Students are able to choose what event they want to compete in based on what their strengths and weaknesses are in the field of marketing.
DECA member Drew Jasper, senior, describes how the process of the automotive marketing event will work.
“For ICDC, I will have to take a 100-question multiple-choice test. Then, I will have to present in front of the judges and role play as a company such as a car dealership or a mechanic shop. From there, my scores from the roleplay and the test will be averaged,” said Jasper. “I've been taking an automotive class at the high school which has really helped expand my knowledge in auto tech and will hopefully give me the upper hand in a competition.”
For many DECA members, competitions have allowed them to improve not only progress in their events but also business skills and confidence. Maggie Barnes, sophomore, discusses how competing and specializing in specific events has helped her gain skills that she can use in the real world.
“DECA has shaped me into the person I am today, and it is what I credit for a majority of my confidence,” said Barnes. “The members have always helped me complete practice role plays, and Mrs. T is always there to help me prepare.”
Arden Jackson, senior, also shared how DECA has helped increase his interview skills, which will help him in his search for a career in the future.
“The public speaking aspect has certainly helped me the most with interviews and improving my marketing skills,” said Jackson. “ICDC is much bigger than other competitions and is the highest level of competition I can compete in, so I am excited to prove myself and show off my work.”
WHS DECA members are ecstatic to see their results from the weekend. They are hoping to see that their hard work and dedication has paid off in each of their differing events. Many are hopeful that their preparations have been sufficient for their distinguished competition.
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