Four Pickering College students have earned the chance to compete at the provincials next February in a competition that helps emerging leaders and entrepreneurs to prepare for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.
The Newmarket private school sent a team of 12 students to join 1,500 fellow participants Nov. 5 at the DECA regional finals. Through conferences and competitions, DECA instils professionalism and prepares youth to respond to authentic business cases and market demands, according to a Pickering College news release.
At the regional finals, students began the day by completing a 100-question exam in a specific business area, followed by an impromptu case study competition, which included 30 different categories, where participants presented solutions to a panel of judges. Individual competitors had 10 minutes to prepare for a 10-minute presentation and group presenters had 30 minutes to ready themselves for a 15-minute presentation.
Pickering College Grade 9 students Shrinidhi Seshadri and Daya Grover secured top-10 positions overall in both their exam and case study. Additionally, Grade 11 student Jannat Naseem achieved a top-10 overall ranking in her exam. As a result of their performance, Shrinidhi, Daya, Jannat and Grade 11 student Amanda Zeng earned the opportunity to compete at Ontario DECA provincials in early February in Toronto.
“We are so proud of our students — their dedication has really paid off,” said Brooke Overington, senior school faculty at Pickering College and coach of the DECA team. “With a little less than two months’ lead time to prepare, the entire DECA team should be commended for their efforts and their significant contribution to the resurgence of DECA at PC.”
