FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Joel McPherson
Klamath Union DECA
mcphersonj@kfalls.k12.or.us
541.883.4763
PORTLAND, ORE – Twenty-nine members of the Klamath Union High School (KU) chapter of Oregon DECA joined 1,200 high school business, finance, hospitality and marketing students at the annual association career development conference held February 23-25, 2025, at Holiday Inn Columbia Riverfront in Portland.
DECA enhances preparation for college and careers by providing co-curricular programs that integrate into classroom instruction, apply learning in the context of business, connect to business and the community, and promote competition. Each year, the best Oregon DECA members gather in Portland to challenge each other to solve 21st-century business-related problems. Nine students qualified to compete at the international career development competition in April in Orlando, Florida.
The following KU students received recognition of individual and team ability and achievement at the association level:
● Aeris Saindon - 1st place in Restaurant Food Service Management
● Eleanor Rodriguez - 1st place in Quick Serve Restaurant Management and 2nd place in Apparel and Accessories Marketing
● Jacob Martin - 2nd place in Retail Merchandising and 4th place in Hotel & Lodging Management
● Hope Hartley & Nakia Williams - 4th place in Hospitality Services Team Decision
● Thomas Biggs - 6th place in Hotel & Lodging Management and 8th place in Business Services Management
● Zoe Bitzer - 8th place in Sports & Entertainment Marketing
● Hope Hartley - 9th place in Marketing Communications
● Paetyn Eckert - 9th place in Quick Serve Restaurant Management and in Restaurant & Food Service Management
● Victoria Ebner & Elsie Baumann - 11th place in Travel and Tourism Marketing Team Decision
Top 20 Overall Placement in Event:
● Elsie Baumann - Entrepreneurship
● Victoria Ebner - Food Marketing
● Gabriel Glover - Restaurant Food Service Management and Quick Serve Restaurant Management
● Audriana Morehouse - Food Marketing
● Elias Soriano - Business Finance Series and Accounting Applications
● Kaylee Schauer & Sofia Ulloa - Buying and Merchanding Team Decision
● Gavin Whitaker - Quick Serve Restaurant Management
The following ten students qualified at the association level for international competition and leadership academy:
● Thomas Biggs
● Paetyn Eckert
● Gabriel Glover
● Hope Hartley
● Jacob Martin
● Eleanor Rodriguez
● Aeris Saindon
● Elias Soriano
● Tristan Tatekawa
● Nakia Williams
These students will advance to international competition at the DECA International Career Development Conference, which will be held April 26-29, 2025, in Orlando, FL.
For the 14th time since 2000, KU DECA earned the honor of the Oregon DECA Chapter of the Year. To earn Chapter of the Year, each chapter must submit a written evaluation of projects in four areas: community service, leadership development, chapter/membership development, and chapter publicity/promotion. This year some of the KU DECA highlights included raising funds and pet food donations for the Klamath Animal Shelter, attending multiple leadership development conferences, hosting a competition prep clinic, volunteering at a local food pantry, and promoting DECA at KU with a hot chocolate bar and chapter holiday party.
Chapter Awards:
● 2025 Oregon Chapter of the Year (6th consecutive award)
● Thrive Level Membership Campaign
● Largest Professional Membership
● Largest Alumni Membership
● Third Largest Chapter Membership
As an integral part of the classroom curriculum, DECA’s industry-validated competitive events align with the National Curriculum Standards in the career clusters of marketing, business management and administration, finance, and hospitality and tourism. DECA’s competitive events directly contribute to every student's being college—and career-ready when they graduate from high school. Judges and local business professionals evaluated the members’ performance through role-plays, case studies, and prepared presentations.
“Arriving late after being sick for a week, I was worried I’d missed all the fun; however, I was immediately reminded of the incredible energy associated with DECA the moment I got to the hotel and met up with the KU DECA Chapter to get ready for an amazing competition,” said Jacob Martin, Chapter President.
For more information contact Klamath Union DECA Advisor Joel McPherson, at 541-883-4763, or mcphersonj@kfalls.k12.or.us.