Sixty-three members of the Mound Westonka DECA Chapter attended the Back to Business Challenge Oct. 29-30 in Minneapolis. The conference was open to all new members of the chapter in addition to the officer team.

A total of 700 students from DECA chapters across the state attended workshops at the Minneapolis Hyatt Regency. In addition, new members competed in their first role-plays and members got to experience a DECA exam.

"The Back to Business event not only gave me a good grasp of DECA but also let me experience some of the events firsthand and provided me with the right direction and tools to succeed in DECA," said first-year member junior Brenden Sexton. "It allowed me to connect with DECA officers and share the experience with other first-year members."

Mound Westonka High School senior Isaac Paul also found the Back to Business Challenge beneficial for officers like himself. "The officers got to know the first-year students and help them understand what a role play is, and the first-year students got to experience a real DECA competition before districts," Paul explained.

"I also liked how we spent time talking about fundraising with other schools and took each other's ideas to bring back to our own chapter," Paul added.

Medals were awarded at the Back to Business Challenge to the top two finishers in each role play section. New MWHS DECA members earning a medal were:

• Ninth graders Aubrey Bruckner, Adele Childers, James Marth, Ella McClellan, Val Mobagi and Sky Nienaber
• Junior Brenden Sexton

Returning members earning a medal were:

• Junior Claire Rashleger
• Seniors Olivia Adam, Sam Holmberg, Natalie Miner, Stella Miner, Addison Nash, Anna Olson and Paul. Paul also received a high test score medal.

Additionally, Westonka's three Virtual Business Challenge ICDC qualifying teams were recognized at the event.

ABOUT WESTONKA DECA

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. DECA enhances the preparation for college and careers by providing co-curricular programs that integrate into classroom instruction, apply learning, connect to business and promote competition. The Westonka DECA program is led by advisors Sue Simonson, Alex Wagner, Nelson Krause and Maggie Carlson.