The Vandegrift DECA club had a fantastic showing at the International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Fla. April 27 – 30. Representing VHS were 34 qualifying competitors and three leadership academy students. Students competed in a field of more than 22,000 students representing schools from around the world.

Senior Dylan McKenzie received a medal for top performance in a role play in Business Finance Series.

Sophomore Vishal Sagi for received a medal for top performance in a role play in Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series.

DECA teams received a medal and advanced to the final round of competition.

     Juniors Hannah Jackson and Faryal Jabbar were event finalists in Business Law and Ethics team decision.

       Juniors Mimi Nickerson and Eesha Patel were also recognized as event finalists for their Innovation Plan event.

      The top VHS performances came from two teams earning the much coveted DECA glass trophy.

       Sophomores Akansha Chawla and Lekha Sriparthi finished 2nd in the Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making event.

Seniors Trinh Nguyen and Varun Gorti finished 2nd in Virtual Business Hotel Management Series. Their performance also earned them a $3,000 cash prize.

“We are proud of all our competitors. They worked very hard to represent Vandegrift High School and Texas DECA,” said Kari Michalek, VHS DECA advisor.

Other DECA advisors are Natalie Moeckel, Candace Nassar and Katie Young. Parent chaperones, Eric Hiduke and Michael Heldebrandt also helped on the trip.

A former student, Genevieve Betancourt, representing Colorado earned 1st place for her Innovation Plan. In her sophomore year at Vandegrift, she competed for VHS DECA at ICDC as well.