In February, Tullahoma High School had two students qualify for the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) that took place late last month, with one student leaving the international competition with a medal.

To qualify for the international conference, students needed to finish in the top 10 of their respective event at the Tennessee DECA State Career Development Conference in Chattanooga. Nafolit Shiferaw placed first in Food Marketing Testing and fourth overall, while Addie Colvin finished fourth in the Entrepreneurship Individual Series.

The DECA ICDC occurred on April 26-29 in Orlando, Fla, which saw over 25,000 students compete in over 60 categories. While Shiferaw qualified for the ICDC, only Colvin attended the conference, and she was the only Tennessee student to medal in the Entrepreneurship category.

“Attending the conference was a great opportunity I’ll never forget,” Colvin said. “In my event, I had to take a test and then compete in two role-play scenarios based on a business startup. I was then given 10 minutes to prepare our business plan and then present my plan to a judge. Even though competing was stressful, I got to meet so many people and create connections. It was so interesting to meet people from different countries and cultures. I learned so much from the conference and the conversations I had, and I am so grateful for the experience.”

Tullahoma had 22 students compete at the state development conference. These competitions focus on comprehensive business case study strategies,  leadership training, and participating as a voting representative for state offices. The conference is another opportunity to continue developing leadership, communication, and business knowledge and skills.

“Tullahoma High School DECA is so proud of the achievements of all the students who are a part of the THS  DECA organization, including the 22 students who advanced from the district competition to the state level competition,” said THS DECA Advisor Sharon Woodard. “We are also extremely excited for Addie and Nafolit for qualifying for the international conference.”