Marian Students Shine at DECA District Competition

Eighty-two students represented Marian at the District 5 DECA competition on January 8 at Eastern Michigan University. This is the largest group of Marian students ever to participate in the competition. With 4,300 high school chapters nationwide, DECA helps prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.

Competing individually or in a team of two, the students were given a business scenario and 10 minutes to prepare a presentation for how they’d address it. They then had another 10 minutes to present their recommendation to judges. The students competed in a number of categories, including finance, entrepreneurship, human resources, marketing, retail merchandising, and accounting.

“Competing at DECA is an incredibly valuable experience in which I believe every student should have the opportunity to participate,” says Claudine Denha, moderator of the Business Entrepreneurship Alliance for Marian and Rice (BEAM&R). “The entire process builds real world skills that extend far beyond the classroom and into students’ everyday lives and future careers.

“Through DECA, students learn to think critically, problem solve creatively, communicate with confidence, respond in real time, and present themselves in a professional manner. I truly wish I had this opportunity when I was in high school, and I’m grateful to provide this awesome experience for our girls.”

Marian parents volunteer as judges

Among the judges for the day’s competition were two Marian dads, John Morgan (dad of Katelyn Morgan ’26) and Jason Geisz (dad of Marja Geisz ’27) and Marian mom Veronica Rivera Camargo (mom of Maria Santacruz Rivera ’28).

“The Mustangs are building real world skills through their involvement with DECA,” says Geisz. “The level of preparation, professionalism, and critical thinking they demonstrated was impressive and inspiring. It’s clear these students are developing skills that will translate well beyond the classroom. I left encouraged by the future talent coming out of Marian.”

Thirty-five members of Marian’s DECA team advanced to the state competition, which will take place March 5-7 at Huntington Place in Detroit. Those who qualify may then participate at nationals in April in Orlando.

Congratulations to all of our DECA competitors!