Two teams and two individuals made the stage at the International DECA competition by placing
in the top 20 overall. One team finished up placing 6th overall.
Klamath Union (KU) DECA took 17 members to Orlando Florida from April 19-26 for the
International DECA competition. This team competed in 10 events with KU placing in four of the
ten events.
Juniors Brooke Nelson and Alyse Perez placed 6th overall and earned a role play medal in
Sports and Entertainment Team Decision. Senior Micah Gaede placed top 20 and earned a
role-play medal in Marketing Communications. Senior Bell Riley placed top 20 in Hotel &
Lodging Management. Junior Abby Martin and Freshman Jacob Martin placed in the Top 20
Hospitality Marketing Team Decision.
According to KU DECA Advisor, Nat Ellis, this is one of the best teams in KU DECA History.
“Placing students in four events is a challenge. Only one other school in Oregon had more
finalists than KU DECA. I believe this is a testament to the amount of preparation or team
dedicated before leaving for Orlando. All the competitors practiced role plays and studied for
exams.” said Ellis.
In addition to the four finalists, two teams had near-perfect score presentations and did not
make the finals. “This shows how challenging it is to place at the International DECA
competition. Making the Top 20 and moving into finals is a tremendous challenge. I am proud of
how KU DECA competed this year. The seniors led the team, but all members were
encouraging to others. The strength of KU DECA is the tight-knit bond between the members.
Each year I enjoy watching the team come together to support each other.”
“The best part of attending the International DECA competition is hearing your chapter called.
Once is amazing, but the fourth time is just hard to believe sometimes. The ultimate is when
you hear your team called for the Top 10” The team of Nelson and Perez made the Top 10 in
Sports & Entertainment, placing 6th overall. When they came off the stage, the entire KU DECA
team was there to congratulate them. That is how teams support each other. “This duo is really
amazing.” said Elllis of Nelson and Perez, “They work well together and have the technical
knowledge to solve the most difficult business problems. Their first role score of 99 tells the
story of what they can achieve.”
This year Jacob Martin made KU DECA history by being the first KU freshman to make the
International DECA competition stage. Jacob competed with his sister Abby in Hospitality
Marketing Team Decision. The pair worked well together as all siblings should. “This is the first
sibling team I have worked with. It was fun to watch them work together and challenge each
other. You could see the sibling rivalry every once in a while, but they were focused on creating
a great solution.” Ellis added.
Two senior individuals ended their DECA careers on the stage. Gaede and Riley placed last
year in the Top 20 and repeated this year. “Gaede and Riley are great competitors and had
amazing scores to move them into the finals. These two were such amazing assets to our
chapter. They were both willing to help other members and shared their DECA wisdom with the
team.”
Traveling is always fun, and winning is better, but along the way, KU DECA made lifetime
memories and built friendships. Over the course of a few days, this team built an unbreakable
bond. That bond is something that makes KU DECA different from other DECA chapters.
The other members competed well and earned significant scores, but the competition is fierce.
The rest of the KU DECA team included:
● Abby Cook & Cassidy Bogatay - Project Management Selling Project
● Grace Keyser & Connor Carlson - School-Based Enterprise
● Kate Rodriguez - Quick Serve Restaurant Management
● Addi Brown & Heather Ritter - Travel & Tourism Team Decision
● Ameesha Hazarika & Emma Tolstikhine - Buying & Merchandising Team Decision
● Lina Stanfield - Apparel & Accessories Marketing
● Hali Ganong - Thrive Leadership Academy
KU DECA would like to thank our many sponsors for making this trip possible.
● Cascade Comprehensive Care
● Bogatay Construction
● Howard’s Meat Center
● Tucker Gailis Dental
● PourHourse Cantina
● ZCS Engineering
● BDI Industrial Supply