Student Feature Friday - Nipmuc Students Place First at DECA District Competition

Each January as the new year begins, Nipmuc's DECA program ramps up for another year of local, state, and international competition. On Friday, January 8, ninety-three students headed to the DECA district competition, hoping to take their first steps toward the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) which will be held in Nashville, Tennessee during April. In this week's "Feature Friday" post, I'm thrilled to be able to highlight the achievements of six Nipmuc students who set themselves apart from the field of competition with first place finishes. 

Congratulations Abigail,  Angelica, Conor, Cameron, Kevin and Drew!

Abbey Colombo & Angelica Puchovsky

Team of Abigail Colombo and Angelica Puchovsky:  Buying and Merchandising

Abigail Colombo
Q. What work have you done at Nipmuc that prepared you for the competition?
A.  Going into DECA Districts last Friday, my partner Angelica and I felt very prepared. Leading up to the competition, Angelica and I were able to take mock exams and present practice role plays during our Marketing class. It was very helpful to be able to present role plays to our peers and teacher and receive feedback on how we could improve for Districts. All of our hard work and preparation in class definitely helped us to be so successful at the competition!
Q. What was the highlight of your day?
A.  The highlight of my day was when we were announced as the first place winners. It was a very stressful day between taking the test, presenting the role play, and waiting for awards, but it was all definitely worth it! Winning first place is by far one of the most memorable moments of my high school career.
Q. What are you most excited for as you move forward to the state competition?
A. I am most excited for the opportunity to improve our scores at the state competition and hopefully qualify for the ICDC competition. The state competition is definitely more competitive than districts, so I'm excited to see how well Angelica and I do against stiffer competition.


Angelica Puchovsky

Q. What work have you done at Nipmuc that prepared you for the competition?

A. Throughout the past two years I have taken a variety of business classes.  My partner Abbey and I have worked very hard. By completing practice tests and performing role plays for students we were able to accomplish our ultimate goal, winning first place.
Q. What was the highlight of your day?
A. The highlight of my day was definitely getting called up to the stage and being awarded the first place trophy. We had worked extremely hard and were so nervous before they called up the winners. Finally reaching our goal truly felt amazing.
Q. What are you most excited for as you move forward to the state competition?
A. Abbey and I are very excited to see what the future holds for us at states. I think we have a chance to accomplish a lot, and potentially reach our larger goal of making it to internationals. We will have to work even harder than before, but I definitely believe we can do it. I'm very excited to go to states and am so happy I was able to have had this opportunity.  

Team of Cameron Busby and Conor Morford:  Sports and Entertainment Marketing

Conor Morford & Cam Busby

Cameron Busby
Q.  What work have you done at Nipmuc that prepared you for the competition?
A. My work and preparation for the competition at Nipmuc prepared me very well. I did practice tests during class which increased my business vocabulary which helped with the test and role play during the competition. I also did practice role plays with my partner which helped to prepare us for the role play in the competition. 
Q. What was the highlight of your day?
A. The highlight of my day was hearing my name and my partner’s name being called and being told we got first place in our category.
Q. What are you most excited for as you move forward to the state competition?
A. I am most excited for the higher level of competition at the state competition and trying even harder to try to make it to ICDC.

Conor Morford

Q.  What work have you done at Nipmuc that prepared you for the competition?
A.  In preparation for the district competition, my partner and I took multiple practice tests as well as go through a few examples of role plays from past years. I'd also like to thank Mr. Cody for making us present one of those cases to our entire class, which really prepared us for the actual competition. 
Q. What was the highlight of your day?
A. The highlight of my day at the district competition was the awards portion where we were able to see all the teams that placed from Nipmuc. 
Q. What are you most excited for as you move forward to the state competition?
A. I am most excited to go through the whole process again but at a higher level of competition as my partner and I move forward to states.

Drew Nelson & Kevin Murphy

Team of Kevin Murphy and Drew Nelson:  Travel and Tourism

Kevin Murphy
Q.  What work have you done at Nipmuc that prepared you for the competition?
A. I prepared for this competition by taking a marketing class. In marketing we prepared by learning about different aspects of business and we also learned how to prepare for the  DECA competition by practicing role plays and taking reactive tests. 
Q. What was the highlight of your day?
A. The highlight of my day was when I first got called up and knowing that I had qualified for states, but then I heard my name get called for first which came to me as a surprise.
Q. What are you most excited for as you move forward to the state competition?
A. I am most excited about getting the opportunity to compete in a more state-wide competition. I am also excited to get the chance to go to internationals if I qualify. 

Drew Nelson
Q. What work have you done at Nipmuc that prepared you for the competition?
A. At Nipmuc this year, I have prepared for the DECA competition by taking marketing with Mr. Cody. In marketing, we had time for my partner and I to practice activities that we would have to do at the competition. DECA contributors had time to practice for the one hundred question test and the main activity, the role play. There were many categories contributors could have taken and Kevin and I did travel and tourism.
Q. What was the highlight of your day?
A. Throughout the DECA competition, the highlight of my day was the feeling I knew I did great and taking home first place. I knew that I did great before and after the role play because of the interesting marketing plan Kevin and I made for the case we were given. Honestly, I was probably jumping up and down before I even won.  I was so excited about the experience I had.
Q. What are you most excited for as you move forward to the state competition?
A. Going forward towards the state competition, I'm most excited about staying at the Marriott Hotel in Boston and getting another chance to compete with my partner. It's going to be even more of an experience when I get to stay with my friends over night at the fancy hotel. I can't wait for this next step and ready to take another chance to compete.