Kirkwood Community College is sending 12 Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) students to the international conference, after recent victories at a regional competition in Minnesota.
Kirkwood sent 33 students to Mankato, Minn., at the end of February to compete against students from two- and four-year colleges and universities from across Minnesota. Twelve of the students scored well enough to become eligible to compete at the International DECA Conference in Anaheim, Cal., in late-April.
Students who placed in the top three in a state event are eligible for the international conference. Of Kirkwood’s 12 winning students, two qualified in two separate events. They will choose one event for the competition in Anaheim.
“This is my 29th year of DECA at Kirkwood and each year it gets stronger,” said Kirkwood DECA Faculty Advisor Mark Abel. “I’m very proud of the accomplishments of the entire team, but carry a little extra pride for the two students who placed in multiple events. It’s something that’s very hard to do and they should be very proud.”
DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in fields such as marketing, management, finance and entrepreneurship in high schools and colleges around the globe. DECA’s Collegiate Division (formerly known as Delta Epsilon Chi) includes more than 15,000 members in 200 colleges and universities, including Kirkwood Community College.
DECA students are provided the opportunity to participate in state and national business competitions, earn awards, perform community service and seek local, state and national office in the organization.