Twelve of Cleary University’s DECA students have qualified for the International Career Development Conference in San Francisco, April 5-9.
A total of 16 Cleary DECA students traveled to the state competition in Bay City last week in hopes of qualifying for the international competition.
Cleary DECA students who will compete in San Francisco in April are:
• Carson MacMillan of Howell and Morgan Whitcomb of Brighton: first place – Advertising Campaign
• Matt Radjewski of Macomb: third place – Advertising Campaign
• Ambre Canado, from Toulouse, France; Emma Nobels, from Vijfhuizen, The Netherlands; and Sarah Wessels, from Langerwehe, Germany: second place – Entrepreneurship: Starting a Business
• Jacob Haley of Flint and Hsiang “Shaelyn” Kao from Douliu, Yunlin, Taiwan: third place – Entrepreneurship: Starting a Business
• Macie Mullins of Brooklyn, Mich., and Olivia Williams of Nashville, Mich.: third place – Business to Business Marketing
• Sarah Wessels: third place – Travel and Tourism
• Ryan Davis of Commerce Township, and Chase Palmer of Macomb: finalists – Business Research
• Emma Nobels: finalist – Financial Accounting
“We are so proud of the performance of all of our Cleary DECA students. They are an impressive representation of our university,” said Kelly Genei, dean of Undergraduate Studies and co-advisor of DECA.
More than 200 students from 10 universities in Michigan participated in the state competition. Cleary competed against DECA students from Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Kettering University, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, Northwood University, Oakland University, Wayne State University and Western Michigan University.
Cleary students competed in a wide variety of categories: advertising campaign, business to business marketing, business research, entrepreneurship – starting a business, entrepreneurship operations, financial accounting, restaurant and food management, sales management and leadership, sports marketing, and travel and tourism.
“Our students approached their events with confidence, poise and knowledge, demonstrating their strengths in business principles, which thoroughly impressed the judges,” said Justine Defever, associate professor at Cleary and co-advisor of DECA. “Our DECA students received many accolades from the judges, as reported in the evaluation sheets. It was so impressive as a faculty member to see how our students truly embodied the Cleary Mind™ attributes.”
DECA students are now preparing for the international competition in San Francisco in April, practicing with their fellow teammates, and organizing fundraising activities to help pay for their trip. DECA students welcome any donations from the community. Send an email to jdefever@cleary.edu on how you can help.
DECA officials expect more than 10,000 students from around the world to compete in the international competition.
DECA prepares college and high school emerging leaders and entrepreneurs throughout the world for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Its collegiate competitive events program allows students to test their experience, skills and knowledge while representing their university. They compete for top international honors in one of 25 different categories. Business and industrial leaders serve as judges for the competition.
Cleary established its DECA program five years ago. “We are excited to see the program growing so rapidly and with such great achievements in such a short time,” said Genei, who started the program at Cleary. “The DECA competitive categories fit perfectly with the concentrations offered at Cleary, and the focus on problem solving, communication and leadership skills is exactly what we try to develop with the Cleary Mind.”
The Cleary Mind™ is comprised of these eight key elements: critical thinking, problem solving, creative thinking, communications, persuasion, entrepreneurship, leadership and ethics.
Cleary University offers a $4,000 DECA scholarship to a new undergraduate student who enrolls full-time at Cleary. The student must meet the following criteria: GPA of 2.5, participates in a high school DECA program, submits a letter of recommendation from a student advisor, will participate in DECA for four years at Cleary, and must be a full-time student at Cleary and maintain a 2.5 GPA. In addition to the $4,000 ($1,000 a year) scholarship, Cleary also offers a $10,000 scholarship ($2,500 a year) annually to one student who has met the same criteria as the $4,000 scholarship and has held a DECA state officer position or has advanced to a national or international competition.
Cleary also offers a DECA student at the university an opportunity to receive a $20,000 scholarship ($5,000 a year) by meeting all of the above listed criteria for the $4,000 scholarship and the $10,000 scholarship and has held a national officer position or placed first at a national or international DECA competition.
To learn more about DECA, send an email to jdefever@cleary.edu. For information on DECA scholarship opportunities, email admissions@cleary.edu.
