If you enjoy learning about business or have the motivation to become an entrepreneur, then becoming a member of DECA, a business club that competes in a series of local, state and national competitions might be the next club for you. DECA, who recently competed in their state competition, had successful results as a team with strong individual performances from members.
On Feb. 23, members of DECA traveled to the University of Maryland to compete in the state competition against fellow Maryland high schools. In this competition, club members were given the opportunity to present business ideas both individually and in teams that they had been preparing over the preceding days and weeks. This competition allowed members to compete in a series of business categories where they competed to earn a place in the national competition in Anaheim later this year.
Senior John Wang enjoyed participating in the DECA state competition while expressing disappointment he did not place in the national competition. Wang said, “My group received a penalty for turning in our project slightly late, which is why we think we did not place in the national competition. However, Wootton as a DECA team has made tremendous strides in competitions in the past few years. Wootton now has two Maryland DECA officers in Ishan Puri (junior), and Karthik Rajaram (junior). I’m extremely proud of what they have been able to accomplish this year. Wootton Deca is also the fastest growing club in all of Maryland, so this year is a win in my book.”
This competition had achievements for the club, including a first-place finish in the Startup Business Plan category. Junior Karthik Rajaram was one of a number of students who won a place in the national competition by earning first place alongside his group in this category of the competition. Rajaram said, “I placed first with my two partners in the Startup Business Plan competition at the conference. Our event was pretty competitive with 10 plus teams competing so I’m glad we took the first spot and am excited to take our project to nationals.”
As the club members competed, they also had the opportunity to become DECA state officers by successfully competing in the competition. In addition to Karthik Rajaram, junior Ishan Puri also became a Maryland state DECA officer by earning first place in his business competition. Puri said, “We did pretty good as I placed first in my event and was also elected state officer as a VP of training. Wootton as a whole won second best chapter and it was great that Karthik and I were both elected to become state officers.”
As DECA successfully competed in the state competition, members who earned a place in the national competition can now continue working on their presentations to prepare for the competition. The club, which hopes for continued success, can continue on in the business world teaching and preparing members for competition.
