EMCC DECA students successful at national competition
Members of East Mississippi Community College’s DECA Club participated in the 2018 Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Arlington, Virginia from April-11-14.
A group of 23 students participated in the competition, winning several national awards. In total, 33 EMCC students qualified to compete in the competition, but
not all could attend. Students qualified for the competition by placing in the top six in their competition categories at the state competition in February. More than 1,450 students from colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada and South America participated in the competition.
EMCC winners included Carley Hurst, who won third place in management institute, Jaycee Stennis, preliminary finalist management institute, awards of excellence DeRaly’n Smith, Brooke Bradford and Jaycee Stennis. In addition, Kyle Bluitt,
Lillie Greenlaw, Tiakara Malone, Destiny Orr, Gissela Perdomo William Shoup and Clay Wade won honors awards. The chapter also received Passport Awards for charter leadership and community service for its work with the nonprofits Touch Ministries in Honduras and The Mission on the Hill in West Point. Passport Leadership Awards were also presented to Missippi Colligate DECA President Dalton Robinson and Mississippi DECA Vice President Clayton Forrester for serving as state-level DECA officers.
“We had the largest delegation from any Mississippi Chapter in the history of Mississippi DECA to attend ICDC this year,” said EMCC DECA sponsor Joshua Carroll. “I’m really proud of my students. For us to walk away with five awards, for us that’s 25 percent (of the group). Out of that 1,450 students, I was pretty happy with my students just to say the least.”
Bradford, who took third place in the event planning category, described her challenge, which centered on preparing for a major dog show with the time limit of one hour.
“The case study was that the event was coming to your town and you had to plan security, food, and the whole nine yards,” Bradford said. “Then you had to present it to the judges. It definitely provided me with real-life experience of being placed in that type situation. Before DECA, I would have been nervous doing something like that.”
The students also received a tour of several monuments and landmarks in nearby Washington D.C.
The students were also treated to breakfast by Sen. Roger Wicker, RMississippi and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi, was also present, making the EMCC group the sole group at the competition to meet with both its U.S. senators.
The group also had the opportunity to visit with all four Mississippi congressmen, Republicans Trent Kelly, Steven Palazzo and Gregg Harper and Democrat Bennie Thompson.
“It was a phenomenal opportunity, because our students got to meet with people that they always see in the news,” Carroll said. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime for them to meet with people they may never get to see in person ever again.”
Carroll said meeting with the lawmakers also served as advocacy for DECA and for career-technical education in Mississippi.
“The more that they understand how important it is when they write that law into action,” Carroll said. “Anything with career-technical on the bill can now be funded through our senators and representatives as it comes across their desks.”
Carroll also thanked the organization’s sponsors for their support of EMCC DECA and its trip. DECA was founded in 1946, and helps prepare high school and college students for careers in the marketing, finance, hospitality and management fields.
Students at EMCC have competed in ICDC for more than 30 years.