The SCTCC Collegiate DECA Team brought home the bling, and the support they received along the way has been nothing but the best.
St. Cloud Subaru’s Love Promise – Loves Learning once again supported the SCTCC Collegiate DECA students make their way to the International Career Development Conference, this year held in Austin, TX.
Marketing Sales Management alumni Bobby Konnight reached out to instructor and DECA advisor, Becky Shand, with the news that Subaru would like to give a donation to the students to help fund their travel: Kenneth Horn, David Macagnone, Ron Niehus, and Vanessa Santana.
The international competition was held April 20-24 in Austin, TX, where the SCTCC DECA members joined more than 1,000 other college students from two-and four-year colleges for top honors in 25 different competitions.
To prepare, the members spent time coaching with industry members, SCTCC alumni, and SCTCC employees: Shelby Ford, Daniel Walter, Denise Dejuliannie, Erik Bergs, Juanita Lopez, Kyle Shoenwald, and Joe Schreier.
“This was my first time helping DECA team members practice,” said Bergs, an SCTCC staff member. “I was impressed by their dedication and the effort they put into the practice, and it made me excited to see their future in the workforce.”
The team traveled to Austin where they attended the opening keynote, networked with like-minded businesspeople, and competed in the first round, after which Horn and Santana were named finalists and were able to progress to the final competition round in Professional Sales.
Of course there was a little fun, as well, with the team heading out for a team dinner of BBQ Texas style and some sight seeing.
The final results after the conference wrapped up were:
- DECA Officer Kenneth Horn competed in Professional Sales and B2B Marketing, bringing home the 3rd place award in Professional Sales.
- DECA Officer Vanessa Santana competed in Professional Sales, Retail Management, and the Sales Challenge. Santana earned a Top 10 award in Professional Sales.
- DECA Officer Ron Niehus competed in Professional Sales and B2B Marketing.
- David Macagnone also competed in Travel and Tourism.
“We would like to extend a huge thank you to our DECA Advisor, Becky Shand, for everything she has done for us to get to this point. We could not do it without you,” said the team.
Collegiate DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges around the world. There are more than 4,000 collegiate members and 180 chapters.