Mount Ida Teaches Competition “How to DECA”
May 4, 2012
From left to right: Katrina Nelson, Tyler Resende, and Zahra Malko.
The Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) Chapter at Mount Ida College travelled more than 2,000 miles to Salt Lake City, Utah for the annual International Career Development Conference (ICDC) from April 21 to 25. At this national conference for collegiate leaders and entrepreneurs, our DECA students expected the competition to be fierce, but what they didn’t expect was to take home three top medals in the nation. As a newly founded chapter, DECA President Zahra Malko and Vice President Katie Morvan made it their mission to “teach the competition how to DECA” (adapted from the song “teach me how to dougie”) and teach them they did.
A Family of Leaders
In October 2010, Malko, senior and business administration major, started the DECA chapter at Mount Ida. As a transfer student, she was determined to create a club for future leaders in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Morvan, also a senior and business administration major, soon joined her as Vice President. Now, in 2012, the DECA Chapter has 12 active members.
“We’re a family, constantly supporting one another in our endeavors and undertakings, both inside and outside of this club,” said Malko. “I truly believe that success has come from our self-motivation and determination to develop the skills we learn in the classroom every day.”
Eyes on the Prize
Upon their arrival to the conference, DECA members attended social and networking events that gave them some time to unwind. Preparation for the competition began soon after as collegiate individuals and groups were assigned their case studies. On the big day, Mount Ida College was awarded the Passport Presidential Award that only 15 out of 200 colleges received for building personal and professional skill sets on DECA’s values of competence, innovation, integrity and teamwork.
Individual award winners at the competition were:
• Zahra Malko, medal for Human Resource Management
• Tyler Resende and Katrina Nelson, medal for Business Law
• Katie Morvan and Cassie Fils, Chapter Leadership Award
“I would have never thought that we’d be this far and I’m so proud that all of our hard work has paid off,” stated Morvan. “Being a part of the DECA Chapter at Mount Ida has changed my life and taught me that if you want it, all of you have to do is ask for it.”