RECAP: DECA Nationals

Westside DECA members that placed in the top three for various categories at the state competition earned their spot to attend the national competition taken place in Nashville, Tennessee last Saturday. Over 17,000 students from around the globe competed at nationals. This year, eight Westside students placed as Top Performers, and senior Hannah Stodolka was named Top 10 in the world for her Advertising Campaign.

“Going into International DECA I was just confident in myself and prepared myself to do my best and see what would happen. When I got called for the top 10 I realized that when you
believe in yourself, your possibilities are endless,” senior Hannah Stodolka said.

On the boys side, Jackson Frerichs received Top Performer on the Comprehensive Test in Hotel Lodging Management and Michael Merical won Top Performer on the Comprehensive Test in Principles of Finance.

As for girls, Rachel Zetzman and Lizzie Harwood were named Top Performers on the Role Play/Presentation for their Advertising Campaign and Eliza Jasa, Nikki Wagner and Lauren Zimmerman were named Top Performers on the Role Play/Presentation for their Innovation Plan.

“I am really proud of how well our students represented the State of Nebraska, both in and out of competition. We were told several times throughout the trip how polite, professional and respectful our students acted in many different situations. This is equally as important as winning,” Business teacher Sarah Schau said.