DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) has high school members from across the country. Virginia DECA students competed in the State Leadership Conference (SLC) in Virginia Beach from Feb. 28 to March 2, attempting to qualify for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC). The advisers for Rock Ridge are marketing teachers Michael Canfield, Sandra Tucker, Cristin Miller, and Christopher Berger. There were over 100 members competing in SLC from Rock Ridge. Their goal was to present well and make it to ICDC a month later. 

There are two different events that the students could choose from: role-playing and written events. 30 students made it to SLC for the role-playing events, and the written events depended on how well they did on the exam they had to take. Overall, Rock Ridge was a strong contender out of all of the high schools competing in Virginia Beach. 24 teams qualified for ICDC, with two placing in first place, one in second place, three in third place, eight as a top seven finalist, and nine people who received top Individual Test Scores and Roleplay. 

There were also special scholarships awarded, $1000 VA DECA Scholarship. These were seniors Nikhita Kuninti, Deeksha Ramankole, and Lilia Jones. The Blue Chip Annual Report Award Recipient, which recognizes excellence in comprehensive business reporting, was awarded to senior Esha Chintamaneni. Outstanding Advisor, which celebrates exceptional leadership and dedication, was awarded to marketing teacher Sandra Tucker. School-Based Enterprise Gold Level Certification, which signifies student success in managing and operating a school-based business, was given to seniors Lilia Jones and Ruth Gemechu.

Senior Aryan Kapoor’s journey to ICDC was due to preparation and unwavering dedication. He placed third in his group written event. “The way that I prepared for DECA was by putting in lots of work with one of my group members on the presentation and paper as well as working on the script to perfect it for my group,” Kapoor said. “Meeting up with my partner that didn’t compete and putting everything aside to work on our project and perfect it so our judge wouldn’t find any flaws.” 

His initial reaction to qualifying for….. was pure happiness and a moment of joyous surprise. “My initial reaction was so funny cause I didn’t realize until I got up to look and I look over to my right and my friends ran over to tackle me to celebrate and everyone’s telling me that I made it to the stage, after that I was full of joy and couldn’t stop smiling,” Kapoor said. 

Senior Nikhil Dinesh, who also won….., attributed his success to early preparation and a deep understanding of his project. “My partner and I prepared by having our project done ahead of time and knowing all of our information so that we were able to give an effective presentation,” Dinesh said. “My initial reaction was relief because we’ve been working on this project since September so it was like all the work finally paid off.” 

He highlighted the importance of delivering an entertaining and informative presentation while acknowledging the challenges of memorizing the script. “Some skills and lessons I’ve learned from DECA are communicating and building connections in a professional setting. DECA has helped me network better and learn how to be a professional in the workforce by teaching me communication with teammates and division of tasks,” Dinesh said.

Senior Dhruv Vemuri’s group focused on creating a dynamic and engaging presentation. “We prepared by continually practicing and working within our group to make our group dynamic and flow better, so we sound more confident and deliver our pitch smoother,” Vemuri said. Their strategy involved a superhero to match their light-hearted and memorable pitch. While relieved to qualify for ICDC, Vemuri wanted even higher placement. “I mean, I was relieved in a sense that we at least qualified for ICDC, but we didn’t really want to be third and we wanted to be first,” Vemuri said. “I guess we were happy knowing we got a chance to compete, but also annoyed because we didn’t do good enough to our standards.” 

Despite a minor technical issue with their clicker, the group remained calm and focused. “I feel like I got more confidence and trust in my ability to talk in a serious setting and really learn how to sell myself or a product really well, and I think that’s going to be useful for networking in the future,” Vemuri said.

Rock Ridge DECA’s remarkable success at the SLC is a testament to the students’ hard work, the advisors’ dedication, and the program’s ability to foster essential business skills. As these 24 teams prepare for the ICDC in Orlando, they carry with them the pride of their school and the experience they gained in Virginia Beach. “Our goal is to place and win glass at ICDC to bring home,” Vemuri said.