March first through third, DECA went to SLC, the State Leadership Conference, in Virginia Beach. This year’s competition was a lot larger than last years. “There was the largest group of competitors ever. Students were competing in their event against 60-80 people so it has really gotten up this year,” said Tiffany Tankut, marketing teacher and Fauquier DECA’s advisor.
The competition in itself has many different parts. Delaney Stone, a Senior in DECA, explains the process of the competition, saying, “We go in and go to the opening session and we see all of the DECA presidents and other things for Virginia and then the next day we compete. We roleplay and then we have mini awards and then the next day we have grand awards.”
To be able to qualify for states, DECA members have to take a test around two weeks before the competition. Then, DECA members choose which category they’d like to compete in. Many different categories are available for competitions. Senior Andrew Lerudis chose to compete in personal financial literacy this year. “I have a strength in finance and I just know a lot about it and I think it’s important to know a lot about it, especially after high school and it’s just an interest I have in saving and investing that kind of stuff,” said Lerudis.
Not all categories for the competitions are as serious sounding as personal financial literacy though. Junior Isabella Galvan did apparel and accessory marketing because she likes shopping and accessorizing her outfits, placing ninth out of 63 competitors, and will be continuing to nationals.
Nationals are April 26 to May 1, taking place in Anaheim, Calif. with two students from Fauquier competing: Isabella Galvan and Caitlyn Dysart-Moore. Galvan will be in a leadership academy and that will include 22,000 students from all of the United States plus Puerto Rico and Ontario.
Apart from the competitions, students have lots to do in Virginia Beach for fun. One fun thing DECA members like to do is a polar plunge. Whenever they go to Virginia Beach for competitions, Saturday night they go and jump into the freezing cold water. Then the next morning they sit on the beach and watch the sunrise. “We just have a lot of free time and it’s kind of like a vacation from school,” says Dysart-Moore. Members also mention how they went to the boardwalk and would go to a local coffee shop for breakfast in the mornings.
