Following the DECA state conference in March, five members qualified to advance to the next competition. Sasha Milbeck, Ari Krazyman, Cameron Blackwell, Zack Zens and Drew Braaten headed to Atlanta, Ga. to compete in the International Career Development Conference (ICDC).

The team first attended Opening Sessions, where the agenda for the conference was discussed. After these sessions, the members took their test in their respective categories, Zens and Braaten in Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making, Krazyman and Milbeck in Business Law and Ethics, and Blackwell in Entrepreneurship Series. Over the next few days, DECA members conducted their role plays. “Practicing my role plays again was a really beneficial experience and this will definitely help me in the future,” Milbeck said. Zens and Blackwell were delegates along with other Wisconsin State Officers to assess who should be elected for the Central Region Vice President and Executive President of DECA. “It was a really great experience for the students competing and provided lots of learning opportunities for myself and the students. I’m really proud of the students that went and how they performed,” Mr. Sterken, business teacher and DECA advisor, shared.

In addition to DECA business, the team explored the city of Atlanta, taking a studio tour of CNN. “ICDC was a truly amazing experience. DECA has further allowed me to grow my skills in the realm of business while also exploring the intricacies of business competition. I can truly say that no other extracurricular has shaped me in such a positive way. I hope to continue with greater involvement in DECA in the future,” Zens said.