TAYLOR HIGH SCHOOL Students Earn Recognition at State Career Development DECA Conference

Thirty-seven DECA students from Taylor High School traveled to the state competition after qualifying during district competition in December. Over 19,000 students competed for international awards and scholarships as emerging leaders and entrepreneurs.

The students represented Taylor in a positive and professional way. They worked hard preparing in the weeks leading up to the competition on written events and “role plays.”

“I am so proud of how hard they worked on all of their projects,” THS DECA supervisor Carly Lundgren-Barnard said. 

The 2019 conference was held in Detroit on March 8-10, and it was one of the most exciting, competitive and fun Michigan DECA events of the year.

Taylor had the opportunity to meet and compete with over 4,000 Michigan DECA members from throughout the state and also meet important and influential business professionals.  The SCDC was a time to develop occupational and leadership skills as well as meet other fun and energetic Michigan DECA members. The organization also received its new charter for Taylor High School.

Taylor students received recognition at the State Career Development Conference:

Name of Student	Event/Scholarship	Place/Honor	Company Sponsor
Gabrielle Frazier	Professional Selling Event	Medal for overall finalist top 12 in the state	DECA
Karizma Melendez	Financial Literacy Promotion Plan	Medal for overall finalist top 12 in the state	DECA
Sylvester Grant	Entrepreneurship Promotion Plan	Medal for overall finalist top 12 in the state	DECA
Mohammad Monet	Entrepreneurship Promotion Plan	Medal for overall finalist top 12 in the state	DECA
Vheena Villareal	Human Resource Management	Medal for top role play score and medal for overall finalist top 12 in the state	DECA
Sana Abedi	Food Marketing	Medal for overall finalist top 12 in the state	DECA

Students receiving recognition at the state level and moving on to international level were:

Name of Student	Event/Scholarship	Place/Honor	Company Sponsor
Kayleigh Beesley	Buying and Merchandising Research Operations Event	Medal for overall finalist. Plaque Top 4 in the state of Michigan	DECA
Chrystian Paquette	Buying and Merchandising Research Operations Event	Medal for overall finalist. Plaque Top 4 in the state of Michigan	DECA
Ruke Odjugo	Buying and Merchandising Research Operations Event	Medal for overall finalist. Plaque Top 4 in the state of Michigan	DECA
Marissa Ogea	Aspire Leadership Academy	Scholarship recipient	DECA
Karizma Melendez	Aspire Leadership Academy	Scholarship recipient	DECA
Vheena Villareal	Thrive Leadership Academy	Scholarship recipient	DECA
Josh Myles	Elevate Leadership Academy	Scholarship recipient	DECA
Mohammad Monet	Thrive Leadership Academy	Scholarship recipient	DECA
Morgan Rothe	Ignite Leadership Academy	Scholarship recipient	DECA
Chris Sherry	Ignite Leadership Academy	Scholarship recipient	DECA
Virginia Cole	Elevate Leadership	Scholarship recipient	DECA

During the school year, approximately 180,000 of DECA’s 300,000 student members take part in the organization’s competitive events program, allowing them to compete for local and regional titles.

The competitions are designed to simulate real-life business scenarios and test students’ academic understanding and skills development. The top state and provincial winners put their talents to the test during the program’s final round of competition in Atlanta. The DECA International Career Development Conference was the pinnacle of competition where nearly 19,000 students vied for international honors.

In addition to career-based competition, DECA members engaged in leadership academies and networking opportunities with over 60 internationally recognized businesses.

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. DECA enhances the preparation for college and careers by providing co-curricular programs that integrate into classroom instruction, apply learning, connect to business and promote competition.