In its first semester on campus, the WCS DECA Club has had immediate success under the student leadership of junior Nick Grabon and faculty member David LeVan.
DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs through programs and competitions in the fields of marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges around the world.
The WCS DECA Club was formed in January 2021 with 15 participants. At a Leavenworth mini-competition early in the semester, WCS fielded eight top-3 finishers in various categories. At the Kansas State Career Development Conference (SCDC) in March, we fielded five top-3 finishers, including two 1st Place finishers in Katherine Grace and Ayaan Parikh for Principles of Business Management and Administration and Principles of Finance, respectively.
From there, WCS had 10 students qualify for competition at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) and founder Nick Grabon advanced to the finals and finished 9th in Business Services Marketing. Nearly 13,000 DECA members competed in the virtual ICDC in varied disciplines, presenting case study solutions and presentations through recorded videos. Approximately the top 20 competitors in any division could then earn the opportunity to deliver a final presentation with a business professional over Zoom. Nick's 9th Place finish places him among the top 15% of competitors and earned him an international medallion. // Read more here on the ICDC.
Congratulations to these trailblazing Spartans for starting a new venture, and with such success! // Read more here on our first semester DECA performances.