Country Day’s New DECA Team Heads to the State Stage

Our new high school DECA* team recently attended the California DECA State Career Development Conference in Anaheim. Students were energized and excited as they experienced their first conference alongside more than 3,500 DECA members from across California. 

Students began with a 100-question comprehensive exam, attended the Opening Session, and participated in role play events, where they apply the real-world business and communication skills they’ve been developing throughout the year. Their January 'DECA Cav Con' on-campus event proved invaluable! Thank you again to our volunteer judges Soon Yu, Steve Buzzard, Melissa Strong, Kim Dee, and Jay Shukla.  

In addition, students attended several professional workshops throughout the day, with a focus on leadership skills and personal development. The consensus favorite focused on how to stand out in job interviews; skills that will serve them well far beyond this conference. Five of our students competed by presenting business plans and marketing campaigns they’ve been developing for months.  Sid ‘28, Itzel ‘26, and the team of Maya ‘28, Brenden ‘28, and Henry ‘28 presented their business plans and marketing campaigns to judges and experienced firsthand how much they can learn and grow through the program.

Our chapter’s Voting Delegates, Chapter Officers Sid Shukla and Brenden Yu, also helped select California DECA’s next State Leadership Team. 

Chapter Advisor Brian Hemsworth shared, “I am incredibly impressed with our students. Their professionalism and willingness to connect with students from other schools is outstanding. I’m confident they’ll return home with even greater motivation and a deeper appreciation for these future-ready skills. Six months ago, most of our students would have said, “What’s DECA?” Now, they have experienced firsthand how much they can learn and grow through the program.”

*DECA is a Career & Technical Student Organization that prepares students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, management, and entrepreneurship. There are over 300,000 DECA members in over 4,000 high schools nationwide.