DECA students travelled to Houston to compete in the Texas DECA Career Development Conference Feb. 24-26. Of these students, 13 qualified to continue, and will compete in the international competition Atlanta G.A. in late April.

“I’ve never been to Worlds before,” DECA president Ashritha Chandy said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to win. I think we have a really good shot.”

Students competed in a number of events that tested their knowledge and abilities in the business field.

“It felt good to finally compete,” Sophomore Cynthia Chen said. “We’ve basically spent the last few months cramming as many facts as possible into our heads. It was a feeling of, like, finally I don’t have to think about numbers anymore.”

While some students had no idea what awaited them on the day of competition, many participated in prepared events, in which they completed elements of a campaign ahead of time and presented to judges.

“I felt so relieved I was done,” Chandy said. “We’d spent so long preparing, and it felt great to know we’d given it everything. The judges were really nice and made us feel comfortable, so it was a good experience all round.”

Although many said they felt prepared in their events, the contest still presented some challenges.

“As the president, I feel like I’m everyone’s dad,” Chen said. “People management is definitely interesting, especially when you also have to compete yourself.”

A major draw of DECA for many students is the ability to travel to different cities. For those who only competed on one out of the three days of the contest, the trip provided another opportunity: the chance to explore Houston.

“I didn’t think I’d like Houston much, but it was actually really fun,” Chen said. “But being there with my friends really changed it for me. I loved being able to just hang out and go out to restaurants.”

As they prepare for Worlds, DECA students will have to face an entirely new set of challenges. But if they manage to pull off an achievement like they did in Houston, the odds are in their favor.

“Every competition has a whole new load of problems,” Chandy said. “But I’m optimistic. I can’t wait to go.”