Lambert Competes in DECA State Convention

Here is the Lambert DECA club posing for the camera during their convention after the awards ceremony. The students can be seen in business attire to set up a professional environemnt. (Lambert DECA)

Here is the Lambert DECA club posing for the camera during their convention after the awards ceremony. The students can be seen in business attire to set up a professional environemnt. (Lambert DECA)

Lambert’s Distributive Education Clubs of America attended the 2022 DECA state convention from January 27 to January 29. 54 out of 200 participants placed, allowing them to move towards the International competition in April.

The convention took place in downtown Atlanta and schools from all over Georgia came to take part in this event.

DECA is a club based on entrepreneurship and marketing and focuses on preparing students for the business world.  

During the convention, students participated in a number of activities, ranging from competing in events, to workshops from experienced workers. Some competitions required presentations that they prepared beforehand, and some were completely spontaneous. 

A variety of awards could be won at individual and school levels. Some rewards recognize those with extensive acts of community service and other awards rewarded students with scholarships. 

A typical day of this convention looks very different for each person. Individuals would go compete at their designated times and spend some time practicing before their competition or presentation. If they were not competing, the other participants could take advantage of the workshops hosted by business professionals. People attending the convention could also listen to their peer’s presentations. 

One noteworthy participant from Lambert who managed to place was Estelle Shen. She placed second for her individual role-play event and third with her group for their Franchise Business Plan. 

“We prepared a 20-page paper, and also a visual which was a tri-fold board,” Estelle said. “So we put a bunch of information on the board, pictures, graphics, and brought that in to present to the judges.”

The state convention was a wonderful experience, both for those who were eager to compete and for those who wanted to learn from new experiences. 

When asked if Estelle would do this event again, she responded enthusiastically. 

“Yes, I would definitely do this event again,” she replied. “It was really fun. The competition was really fun. It was a little bit stressful at first but as you go into [the event], you become more relaxed.”