Senior DECA members Bryce Tricas, Ava Johnson and Riley Wolfgang won awards at the statewide Career Development Conference March 8. The Chargers took home three awards at the competition in two different events, professional selling and marketing communications. Tricas, who finished third in professional selling, did not have high expectations leading up to the competition.
“My stoke meter was kind of low at the beginning of the week because I didn’t think I was going to make it,” Tricas said. “But when I saw I got third place, my stoke meter went through the roof.”
Johnson, who placed second in professional selling, shared similar sentiments.
“I was actually really surprised, because I didn’t think I placed at all,” Johnson said. ”So it was a really exciting time for me, and it was just really cool.”
Since all three students placed in the top three at the state competition, they will compete in the national competition April 21-25 in Atlanta.
“It’s very exciting [to go to nationals],” Wolfgang said. ”It is a very hard thing to do and is a nice surprise for senior year.”
As seniors, the three students have mixed feelings about this being their last time ever competing in a DECA competition.
“It does feel pretty good [to place],” Tricas said. “But it’s got me feeling a little melancholy, since its my last year and I don’t know what I’m going to do without it.”
Johnson had similar emotions with this being her last year with DECA.
“DECA has been really important to me all through high school,” Johnson said. “And it was really nice to end it on a good note.”
Wolfgang knows she is going to need to start preparing and step up her performance to win at nationals.
“I haven’t started my preparation yet,” Wolfgang said. “But I will probably start studying for my tests soon, as the competition will be much harder than states.”
– By Davis Palermo
