HILLSBORO, Kan.— Tabor College’s DECA Chapter continues to assert itself against colleges and universities at every level. Competing at the Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference in Louisville, Ky., 18 students traveled to this year’s event.
Collegiate DECA recognized Tabor as one of its Top 10 chapters in the nation, joined by (in no order):
- Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kan.)
- Butler University (Indianapolis, Ind.)
- Alexandria Tech College (Alexandria, Minn.)
- Southwest Minnesota State University (Marshall, Minn.)
- Arizona State University (Tempe, Ariz.)
- University of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisc.)
- Michigan State University (East Lansing, Mich.)
- Austin Community College (Austin, Texas)
- Inver Hill Community College (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.)
- Minnesota State University-Moorhead (Mankato, Minn.)
“This year was another great showing for Tabor College and the hard work our students put into preparing for their events and competing against much larger universities,” said Melinda Rangel, Ed.D., Marvin Sellberg Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship and chapter advisor. “While we’re losing some key seniors, we have a solid core of underclassmen that will continue to build a strong and competitive DECA chapter next year.”
Abram Friesen (SR, Lewiston, Mont.) became a back-to-back national champion, two groups were recognized as Top 3 finishers, and eight were named national finalists.
“Abe’s accomplishment is an incredible feat,” Rangel said. “As a biology major and business minor, I hope his success will encourage students from all majors to consider being on the DECA team.”
Final Results
| Competitor(s) | Event | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Abram Friesen Ashton Ortiz (SR, Blanco, Texas) | Entrepreneurship- Grow Your Business | 1st Top 10 |
| Ashton Ortiz | Hotel & Lodging | 3rd |
| Bolivar Vasquez (SO, Panama City, Panama) | Marketing (Written Exam) | Top 10 |
| Joao Pereira (tcg) Sasha Wasinger (tcg) | International Marketing | Top 10 |
| Abram Friesen Ignacio Fabeiro (SO, Montevideo, Uruguay) | Business-to-Business Marketing | Top 10 |
| Darriene Gibbs (JR, McPherson, Kan.) Kellen Haugen (FR, Brookfield, Wisc.) | Entertainment Marketing | Top 10 |