Middleton High School's Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) club had 23 members qualify to compete at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta, Ga. Students took a marketing related exam and performed role plays and presentations that resemble scenarios they would encounter if they had a job in marketing.
Madis
on DeRidder, Elizabeth Kanne, Wilson Tang, and Andrew Wang earned a medal based on their exam score. In addition, the following students made it into Finals based on their combined scores: DeRidder and Lucy Paler (Travel and Tourism Team), Eric Huang (Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling), and Elizabeth Wang (Virtual Business Challenge - Personal Finance).
Huang finished in first place, Wang finished in third place, and DeRidder and Paler placed in the Top 20 in their respective events.
"ICDC was a great convention, even outside of the competition,” Huang said. “Being able to meet like-minded high schoolers from around the world was an incredibly eye-opening, inspiring, and fun experience. Coming into ICDC, I knew that I had done everything I could to prepare, but I also knew how competitive ICDC was.”
Huang said it was exciting to move through the ranks from a top 20 to a top 10 finalist.
“On stage, the third and second place winners were called, and I was in disbelief when I was named the first place winner,” Huang said. “The next couple of hours felt surreal as I processed and celebrated with the rest of my incredible chapter, and it truly felt like all the long hours of preparation had paid off."
Wang shared a similar perspective on her third-place finish.
"When I messed up early on during the final round, I thought there was no way I would get glass," Wang said. "I remember staring at the millions gap between me and my competitors and thinking to myself, ‘it's over.’ But in the last 30 seconds, I managed to slide myself to third place. I cannot possibly describe the relief that flooded me in that moment. All I recall was slumping onto the ground out of both shock and joy once the simulation ended."
DECA chapter advisor Bob Hutchinson shared his pride in the team’s showing.
"To have two members win DECA glass – another name for a trophy amongst DECA members – and a team place in the Top 20 was truly incredible," Hutchison said. "It was an amazing year for Middleton High School DECA."