DECA members are on their way to ICDC after a successful trip to Virginia Beach

Kylie Windows, Junior Staff Writer|May 8, 2023

Through the weekend of March 4-5, Independence DECA members participated in the 2023 VA DECA State Leadership Conference. This conference took place in Virginia Beach and decided who would be moving on to the international stage for various categories. 

Some of the specific categories that students participated in range from business plans and ideas, literacy, job interviews and more. The time allotted for preparation is limited, and they can be done either individually or in groups. 

DECA sets students up for success in the business world and provides them with real life scenarios. “DECA conferences prepare students for presentations and interviews that students may potentially encounter when working in a business setting,” said senior Katie Ravas.

In the result of various categories and events, there were lots of great opportunities, and Independence DECA definitely pursued them and had a successful trip bringing home many wins. “The conference was very successful for us individually and as a whole, not only because of the placings but because of the experiences that we encountered,” said Ravas. 

27 Independence DECA competitors placed and qualified for ICDC which is the next conference located in Orlando, Florida on April 22-25, 2023.

 

Independence’s winners from the 2023 VA DECA State Leadership Conference and their categories include: 

  • Haley Huggins – EFB 1ST Place
  • Sthavya Avvaru & Sanjana Patel – IBP

1ST Place

  • Nikhil Kannan & Sumanth Sridhar – EIB

1ST Place

  • Shreya Perumal, Aleezah Khaliq, &

Eeshika Singh – PMFL 1ST Place

  • Rishi Jain & Daniel Kanazeh – PMSP 1ST

Place

  • Arushi Gambhir & Ivy Hoybach – PMBS

2ND Place

  • Lahari Kunapaneni, Lauren Sebelist, &

Kylie Marschall – EFB 2ND Place

  • Samrita Rajagopalan – PMFL 5TH Place
  • Raga Gourineni – PBM 5TH Place
  • Hailey Chan – ENT 5TH Place
  • Agrim Bansal & Smaran Bonthula –

HTDM 4TH Place

  • Sriya Nair – PMCD 6TH Place
  • Isabella Bach, Sebastian Breglio &

Bella Breglio – PMCD 7TH Place

  • Taneesha Mishra & Vaani Arora – ESB

6TH Place

  • Nitish Kannan – ESB 7TH Place