FFCHS DECA Shines at State Competition, Secures Spots at International Conference

Members of the Fountain-Fort Carson chapter of Colorado DECA joined over 3,200 high school business, finance, hospitality, and marketing students at the annual association career development conference held February 25-27 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

The following students received recognition of individual ability and achievement at the association level. They will advance to international level competition at the DECA International Career Development Conference that will be held April 27-30, 2024, in Anaheim, CA.

Top Placers Moving on to International Competition:
Michael Oliver – State Champion – Future Marketing Educator
Faith Ludwig, Wyatt Johnson, Malia Fisher – 2nd Place – Project Management Community Giving
Reese Bachman, Mackinsey Martinez, Tiaudry Tuli – 2nd Place – Chapter of Excellence (Large Chapter Division)
Ella Selvage, Tru Moody, Ethan Smith – 5th Place – Project Management Career Development
Macy Gilbert – 5th Place – Principles of Business Management and Administration

Finalists, finishing in the top 12:
Ryleigh Coffee, Dominic Nabayan, Oz Schneider – Independent Business Plan
Airalynn Barnes, Taylor Hodne, Danna McCartan – Project Management Community Giving
Chelsea Martinez, Myren Johnson, Ryan Manongdo – Start-Up Business Plan
Malia Fisher – Professional Selling
Element Kimble – Financial Consulting
Wyatt Johnson – Apparel and Accessories Aldo Venegas and Ethan Smith – Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team
Samuel Huff – Quick Serve Restaurant

Malia Fisher, junior, was selected to join the Colorado DECA State Officer Team as the Colorado DECA District 8 Representative. Here is what Malia had to say about her experience: “DECA from the start has played a vital role in building my confidence with the help of my advisors and team. Running for state officer was a huge step in my journey as it challenged my public speaking and ability to think on my feet.”

Senior, Ryleigh Coffee stated: “DECA has been a part of my life for four years now. I never thought that I’d make it this far in the program and most importantly it taught me that I have a passion for public speaking and even graphic design. Without DECA I wouldn’t have discovered these passions and the amazing advisors and friends I made throughout the years. This program has taught me a lot not only about business and careers, but also about myself. Out of everything I have done since freshman year, DECA is definitely one of the things I will miss the most.”

As an integral part of the classroom curriculum, DECA’s industry-validated competitive events are aligned with the National Curriculum Standards in the career clusters of marketing, business management and administration, finance, and hospitality and tourism. DECA’s competitive events directly contribute to every student being college and career-ready when they graduate from high school. More than 400 business professionals evaluated the members’ performance in the format of role-plays, case studies, and prepared presentations.

About DECA Inc.
DECA is a career and technical student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs with a career interest 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. DECA student members leverage their DECA experience to become academically prepared, community-oriented, professionally responsible, and experienced leaders. DECA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with nearly 260,000 members in 4,000 high school and college chapters in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Germany.

For more information about DECA, visit www.deca.org.