Eight Students are competing in the State Career Development Conference in numerous categories on March 15-17 in Lincoln at the Cornhusker Marriott.
DECA is an organization centered around the careers such as marketing, management, and entrepreneurship in careers such as hospitality, finance, sales, service, business administration, and entrepreneurship. The goal of DECA in the following categories is to improve one’s education and career opportunities. Hastings Senior High School takes part in a local chapter of the DECA organization that focuses on raising social intelligence, developing leadership skills, increasing the understanding of business in general and, lastly, encouraging civic engagement.
Junior Mclean Witte has participated in DECA for two years and is heading to state for the first time to compete in the entrepreneurship category. He has also been slated by the Nebraska DECA board to run for state president.
“DECA state president basically helps run the officer team. They supply the vision and organize everything for the state officers to become successful,” Witte said.
To make it to state, you must apply for one of two categories.
“To go to state you either need to place at a competitive competition, or run for state office which is what I am doing,” Witte said.
Making it to state DECA is not something that everyone could say they have done, but it is a great way to increase their skill set and experience, as well as build a background. In the grand scheme of it all, DECA is something that people may use as a ladder to reach their dream career and make it so state DECA is just one more thing to have in their resume.
“I would like to go into fashion designing, and I do believe it will be very beneficial to get me into the clothing and marketing of its area,” sophomore Sajen Sadd said.
Sophomores Grant Beard, Sajen Sadd and Carlos Serrano will be competing at state. Juniors Gavin Gracey and Mclean Witte will join them as well as seniors Logan Warner, Leah Smith and Shelly Eiseman. If any of the following students rank top three of any category, they will compete at the International Career Development Conference from April 21-24, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia.
