Written by senior, Laura F, with contributions by advisor, Mrs G

This past spring, during the week of April 21-26, we had 11 students participate in DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida. Several of our returning seniors had been to ICDC the prior year, but our advisor, Mrs Gellenbeck, along with several other juniors and seniors, got to experience the magic of DECA in another state for the very first time!

Two returning seniors, Luke Border and Tuckor Lambert, competed in the Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making Event. Luke went on to place top 10 IN THE NATION in the Entrepreneurship cluster exam! Laura Felderean, Pranjal Kumar, and Bella McGlaughlin competed in the School Based Enterprise – Retail Event. Jessica Mallett, Sierra Toot, and Erika Brown attended leadership conferences and accepted their Campaign Thrive Award. Kaden, Vyom Bhatt, and Ethan Estes attended a leadership academy.

The experience was fun, but exhausting! Students went to amusement parks on Saturday, including Universal and Disney’s Magic Kingdom. On Sunday, students had event briefings, and spent their time meeting new people at the Orange County Convention Center where conferences and events were held. It was a great way to ease into the busy days ahead of competitions, conferences and awards ceremonies.

In the morning on Monday, Luke, Tuckor, Laura, Pranjal, and Bella competed in their respective events. After months of studying and prepping, they gave it their all! That evening, thousands of DECA members attended DECA Night at Universal Studios.

This trip is certainly one to remember. “I am so proud of our students. Many of the returning seniors have worked hard to help me navigate my first year as an advisor,” stated Mrs G.

Below are some pictures to highlight Olentangy Orange’s time in Orlando!!

 

Now, our program is focused on having the SBE or other events qualify for finals next year. The current junior class is working non-stop to have a successful fall next school year & we have recruited additional members to almost double our chapter size! Next stop, Anaheim, CA for ICDC 2024!