![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and its played such a major role in who Ive become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something Im [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala (21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“Im not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
Eighteen Harker Business Club (HBC) members attended the 67th annual DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Anaheim last week, with 10 being named finalists out of over 16,500 competitors from nine countries.
Senior Carlos Johnson-Cruz and juniors Rebecca Chen, Connie Li, Adarsh Battu, Gaurav Kumar, Andy Wang, Dennis Moon, and Kenny Zhang placed in the top 20 in their events. Senior Michaela Kastelman and junior Sachin Vadodaria placed in the top 10 in their events.
“Last year, we only had two finalists,” club advisor Mary Mortlock said. “For a school that does DECA only as a club, [these results] were exceptional.”
Most of the students participated in written events, which include a 5-30 page business plan and an oral presentation, or roleplay events, which consist of oral presentations of impromptu plans.
“We did a Creative Marketing Project: we chose an online education company called Brightstorm and created a new marketing model for it,” Andy said. “We implemented our recommendations and used them to give the company a better revenue stream.”
Freshmen Sophia Luo and Shannon Hong did not qualify to compete in the DECA events but instead attended leadership development and management academies. These were held to teach students about teamwork, communication, and decision-making skills in a non-competitive format.
Outside of the competition, students spent their time exploring the Downtown Disney district and interacting with students from across the world.
According to Connie, some of the highlights of the trip were “walking through Downtown Disney and yelling ‘DECA’ to other students and trading [her] Georgia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania pins for a gold sequined Nevada hat” in a souvenir exchange.
Most of the attendees viewed ICDC as not only a competition but also an exciting social experience.
“There was a lot of hanging around and waiting, but we also got to see lots of Disney characters and go shopping,” Mortlock said. “Of course, we did also have a compulsory study session.”
ICDC is the final competition for DECA this year.
