Photo courtesy of Madison Banker
 
Members of DECA attended and competed at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Orlando from April 25-28.
Junior Madison Banker and senior Claire Ngyuen were international finalists in their events. Banker competed in Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling, while Ngyuen competed in Apparel and Accessories Marketing. Ngyuen also won a Role Play award in her event. Ngyuen had finished first in the event at the state competition, while Banker had finished third in her event.
Banker was surprised about her success. I didn’t expect to make it to finals because last year I made it to state finals,” Banker said. “My goal for this year was to make it to nationals, so I was really surprised and excited to make it to finals and surpass my goal.”
At the conference, students who did not compete in events participated in workshops aimed to develop individual and chapter skills.
Also, the DECA Members and advisors also visited local attractions, including Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Downtown Disney.
Banker believes there are keys to SPFHS’ success at DECA events. “I think SPFHS does so well during DECA because our school has been involved for a long time,” Banker said. “The students who join DECA are really dedicated and they take the time to study for the tests and practice their role plays, which is a large part of being successful.  Also, Mrs. FitzGibbon has served for many years as our advisor.  The time and effort she puts into preparing us and making us feel confident enough to do well is a huge advantage that sets us apart from competitors from other schools.”
Next year, DECA’s International Career Development Conference is in Nashville and will take place from April 26-29. “It would be awesome to have even more students come from SPFHS to represent our school,” Banker said.