OCU’s Distributive Education Clubs of America chapter represented Meinders School of Business in a regional competition on Jan. 7.
The regional competition advanced qualifiers to the national competition.
DECA is an organization at the high school and college level that focuses on preparing students for their careers. They specialize in the industries of marketing, finance, hospitality, and entrepreneurship.
“At the competition, you either compete in a case study or you compete with a presentation over a business plan or a business study,” said MaKenzi Fox, marketing freshman.
“We competed in the business research category, and we researched marketing strategies for a local business, and we won.”
Fox’s team consists of three students besides herself: Raymond Bendita, accounting sophomor; Elias Dominguez, software engineering junior, and Kaleb Ogle, marketing senior.
They are the first group of students to represent Meinders at a collegiate DECA competition. With their regional victory, they will travel in April to Anaheim, California to compete at nationals.
“DECA has changed my life,” Fox said. “I was in DECA in high school, and it prepared me for college in so many ways.”
The scholarships are offered to business students who placed in the state DECA competition at the high school level.
“It is one of the main reasons I am at OCU today, and I am so grateful for all of the opportunities DECA gives me to not only develop my business skills but my character as well,” Fox said.
Maranda Kitchingham, director of outreach and special projects, was unavailable for comment last week.
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