Seven of Tabor’s 20 competitors finished first individually or in a team at the 2023 State DECA Competition. The annual event, featuring 83 competitors and six colleges and universities, was held on campus Friday, Feb. 24, in the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts.
Participating schools included: Cowley College, Fort Hays State, Kansas Wesleyan, Tabor College, University of Kansas, and Wichita State University.
“I was very happy with our business students,” said Melinda Rangel, Ed.D., associate professor of business administration and M.B.A. director. “They represented themselves and Tabor College professionally and with great character. The competition was the hardest in the four years we have hosted the event.”
The International Career Development Conference will be held April 15-18 in Orlando, Fla. National qualifiers have not been named.
| Student(s) | Event | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Emma Willis | Marketing Management | 1st |
| Natalie Ford | Human Resource Management | 1st |
| Natalie Ford | Travel & Tourism | 1st |
| Emma Willis & David Moss | Entrepreneurship– Starting A Business | 1st |
| Emma Willis & David Moss | Business-to-Business Marketing | 1st |
| Jordan Bolden, Martavian Jackson, Ryan Stade | Business Research | 1st |
| Jordan Bolden | Restaurant & Food Service | 2nd |
| Alejandro Honrado Salas | Retail Management | 2nd |
| Alejandro Honrado Salas | Sales Management Meeting | 2nd |
| Sasha Wasinger | Managerial Accounting | 2nd |
| Sasha Wasinger | Corporate Finance | 2nd |
| Katarina Kaikkonen, Sasha Wasinger, Sara Yutzy | Advertising Campaign | 2nd |
| Sarah Brunk, Alejandro Honrado Salas | Entrepreneurship– Starting a Business | 2nd |
| Braizejanae Barnes | Retail Management | 3rd |
| Jesus Rondon | Corporate Finance | 3rd |
| Sara Yutzy | Travel & Tourism | 3rd |
| Alia Hirschi, Mallorie Pearson | Entrepreneurship– Starting a Business | 3rd |
“DECA prepares students in ways that are hard to simulate in the classroom,” Rangel said. “Students practice public speaking, critical thinking, and networking. They apply the business principles they learn in the classroom to real-world settings.”