Finance, Marketing, and Business Management students from Worcester Technical High School, along with WTHS DECA Advisor, Lauren Hayes, IT Academy Guidance Counselor, Erin Macaruso, and Physical Education Instructor, Shawn Mahoney, traveled to Boston, MA February 27 to 29, 2020, for the Massachusetts State Career Development Conference (SCDC), where they compete to advance to the International Level and receive the leadership skills and experience with other Massachusetts DECA Chapters!
All 3,400 attendees were pumped up before the day of competition by the energy from Eddie Slowikowski, bringing his experience and connecting it with the competitors. Afterward, he danced to each hit song in the past decade. The crowd was cheering and screaming, having all of their nerves and tension gone in a split second! Each competitor had gained new experience and socially networked, creating new connections with other chapter members. The students attended two leadership workshops, Personal Branding and Market Madness, where they obtained new knowledge on building up their brand, enhancing the unique traits that make them different than others, and gaining experience on how the stock market works along with their team members from other chapters. All competitors then competed in their chosen business categories of role-play scenarios, or written projects and presentations. Students connected their skills and knowledge that they’ve learned from Worcester Tech and brought it with them to use at SCDC.
Seniors Gabriela Rodriguez and Crystal Fernandez Duval placed second in their overall Community Awareness Project and third place on the written presentation of their project, both advancing to the national level in Nashville, TN. Junior Sarah Tran was elected as Association Officer for the Massachusetts DECA State Action Team 62. Along with that, District 7 placed second in the Miracle Minute, donating all proceeds to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The Worcester Tech DECA Chapter also achieved two allocations to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) Leadership Academy. The Worcester Tech chapter enjoyed the trip and is stoked for next year! Each attendee learned from their experience, knowing what needs to be improved and enhanced for next time.