Penn DECA vs. The World at Upcoming Internationals

“Our first district competition didn’t follow [a] plan, and we got a mid-80s score, and [our former sponsor] showed us the different ways to do indicators, our scores went up a lot, and we’ve just stuck with it ever since.”

It’s this “business plan” that has reserved a spot for Dynamic Duo Evan Shreiner and Manny Smith a spot at internationals, along with three others from the Penn DECA Team.

Internationals is the competition held in Anaheim that all DECA members strive to attend, and the road to internationals has been a long time coming. With practices daily, various role play events, and competitions almost monthly, this year’s DECA team has been “busting theirs to kick yours,” according to sophomore Bowen Anderson.

The prestigious club at Penn has traveled all over the state for competitions to practice their categories and ideas in preparation for internationals.

When asked about her topic, Kendra Laidig said, “I won first place in hospitality and tourism professional selling… We did research, [took the test], and sold the trip to the judges.”

However, there’s always room for improvement. First year sponsor and business teacher Kyle Berres stated, “We could have done a little more, maybe next year bring in some practice judges, maybe bring in some people to speak to them… I learned a lot for next year. I felt that we were prepared, but I always think I could’ve done a little more.”

The importance of business club also reaches further than competitions and trophies. When senior Kacey Wood talked about how DECA had impacted her, she said, “…I’ve really been able to not just learn how to do a job interview, but to talk in front of someone… I was actually able to expand on my people and communication skills.”

There’s no doubt about it, DECA is one of the most demanding and exciting clubs at Penn, and with upcoming internationals, adrenaline is rushing through all competitors. With all of the practices and competitions and lessons, the students have never been more ready to board a plane to Anaheim.