On Friday, January 24th, the Buffalo Grove High School DECA team went to the Rosemont Convention Center to participate in the Sectional Competition. Some of the other schools that participated are; Libertyville High School, Prospect High School, Hersey High School, Rolling Meadows High School, and more. Many people on the Buffalo Grove team were state qualifiers, and students and teachers alike are so excited to see what these students will do at state!
When talking with freshman DECA member, Akshara Arun Karthick, she mentioned that even though the experience was hard because of having to wake up at 5 in the morning, it is an experience of a lifetime. When asked how she and the rest of the team prepared she responded with, “as a competitor in Principles of Finance (one of the events for first year business competitors) I practiced various role-plays provided by the DECA websites. These activities included skills such as holding eye-contact, clear explanation, and most importantly confidence.” Akshara talked about how important confidence really is in DECA. Her coach, Mrs. Zaba, gave advice to the team that entailed, “Walk in there and be as confident as you can be.”
With all the hard work DECA members did, it was now time for them to put their knowledge to work at the sectional competition at the Rosemont Convention Center. When talking with Akshara, Media Club asked her what she had to do the morning of. She told us the planning started the night before. It was required to dress professionally, and make an adequate impression. When asked when she had to get up on that Friday she responded with, “5 a.m, because the bus was leaving at 6:20.”
At 6:25 the experience began, the team reached the competition center just 40 minutes later. This gave the team the right amount of time to find their event rooms and settle into the large, crowded center. There was a range of events like: Financial Literacy, Hotel Management, and more.
Buffalo Grove ended up doing very well in their events; teachers and students are very proud of everyone. Buffalo Grove is excited to see what DECA does next. Great job to everyone on DECA at the Sectional Competition!
