On February 27th, DECA attendees, Camille Furer, Sophie Weinstein and Alexander Yung, learned that they qualified for Internationals after placing in the top 6 at states one week prior. This came as a shock, as normally only the top 4 competitors moved on to the next level.

DECA Internationals 2020 was planned to take place April 29 to May 2 in Nashville, Tennessee. Similar to States, the students would complete a series of exams and role plays. Camille and Sophie were scheduled to compete in Business Law and Ethics Management and Alexander Yung in the Entrepreneurship category.

The Banner spoke with the qualifiers to see their thoughts after this huge accomplishment. All three explained how they have always had an interest in business, and DECA has allowed them to further explore their passions.

Camille has experience with law and policies, as she is an avid member of mock trial and debate, while Sophie is strong in business with her involvement in various business classes and FBLA.

Alexander told us how “DECA has had a great impact on my life and who I am as a person. Being put in situations that forced me to use quick thinking and public speaking skills drastically improved them for me, which has helped a ton in other facets of my life.”

When Furer reflected on her time at states, she explained how it “was a lot of challenging work. The ceremonies were overwhelming and our test and role play were really spread out time wise.”

After hearing the news about Internationals from her partner Weinstein, Furer was shocked. Both members were overwhelmed with joy and honor(and disappointed last week when they discovered that the International Conference was cancelled).

DECA advisor Mrs. Keefer had voiced her excitement, saying, “I was so excited and proud of the outstanding accomplishments performed by Camille Furer, Sophie Weinstein and Alexander Yung. They are excellent students and it [would have been] truly a great opportunity for them to compete internationally.”

Mrs. Keefer also expressed that her favorite part about being involved in DECA was being able to watch her students grow and have a unique experience that allows them to “achieve their goals and realize their greatest potential.”

While DECA team members and advisors can no longer look forward to Internationals, the team is prepared for another successful year and State Conference next year.