Photos submitted by Aanya Ranasaria.

Every year, Hamilton DECA makes the trip to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for the State Career Development Conference (SCDC), and this year was one to remember. From February 22 through February 25, competitors had four days to put their skills to the test, connect with peers from across the state, and show that all the work since Districts had paid off. SCDC is where the competition gets serious: The stakes are higher, the field is stronger, and every test, presentation, and roleplay counts.

Results

Hamilton DECA earned a grand total of 128 awards across 43 competitors, including 36 plaques and 92 competitive excellence medals. Each one reflects genuine effort and dedication, so a huge congratulations to every student who came home with new hardware!

A special shout-out goes to Olivia Thames and Aanya Ranasaria, who completed their year-long terms as Wisconsin DECA State Officers at this year's conference. Ranasaria served as State President and Thames as VP of Brand Management, and together they worked to create meaningful opportunities for over 11,000 members across Wisconsin. Ranasaria focused on connecting individual chapters to state initiatives, while Thames managed social media to keep members informed and engaged throughout the year.

However, the biggest takeaway from SCDC: Hamilton DECA is sending 35 competitors to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in April — a new chapter record!

The Days of Competition

Sunday, February 23

Students arrived at school at 1:00 pm for a 3:00 pm departure, spending the first two hours in preparation — running through presentations, reviewing notes, and getting mentally ready for the days ahead. Administration volunteers handled bag checks before the chapter boarded buses to the Grand Geneva Hotel.

The first night was straightforward. Everyone found and settled into rooms, prepared for competition, and located their competition rooms for the week. Sunday night was also used to meet other members from across the State and be social before the stress of competition starts.

Monday, February 24

Project competitors were up early, with some navigating both a preliminary and finals round — a new addition to the format this year. That meant certain students were presenting, testing, and waiting on finals results all before noon. Regular project competitors headed to their scheduled presentation slots between 12 and 2 pm.

Projects are evaluated on two or three components depending on the event: a written paper submitted in advance, a 15-minute live presentation, and for select competitions, a 100-question test. At 3:45, every competitor sat down for their category test — 100 questions in Marketing, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality & Tourism, Business Management & Administration, Personal Financial Literacy, or the Principles track for first-year competitors.

After tests wrapped up, students received their roleplay times and locations for Tuesday. The day closed with the Opening Session, where DECA recognized sponsors and organizational leaders. Hamilton was recognized for Outstanding Community Service and for reaching the Diamond, the highest tier, in Wisconsin DECA’s statewide challenge, the Diamond Dash.

Tuesday, February 25

Tuesday is the busiest day of SCDC. Every competitor completed two roleplay situations, which is the most high-pressure element of the conference. Given a random scenario, individuals have 10 minutes to prepare before delivering a 10-minute solution to a panel of judges, hitting specific performance indicators along the way. Teams receive 30 minutes to prepare. In those moments, it’s just your preparation and your ability to think on your feet.

Following competition, chapters were invited to an optional dinner at the Grand Geneva before the evening awards ceremony for project competitors. The top six projects in each category earned ICDC spots; Hamilton had 11 total projects compete with 10 qualifying.

Tuesday night also included the formal recognition of the outgoing State Officer Team. Hamilton cheered as Ranasaria and Thames walked the stage alongside advisor Amanda Fields and their families. It was a memorable evening to end a year of hard work and dedication.

Wednesday, February 26

The final awards session on Wednesday morning marked the official end of DECA State. The top 10% of test scores received test medals, judges selected their two standout competitors from the previous day, and combined roleplay and test scores determined finalists. From those finalists, the top seven in each category received plaques and qualified for ICDC.

State officers presented the awards, so many Hamilton members received recognition directly from Ranasaria or Thames. After the ceremony, a double-qualifier meeting determined final ICDC spots. Competitors who qualified in both a project and a roleplay had to choose one, which created openings further down the list. A special shoutout to those who placed in both events: Elise Davidson, Dylan Frankovis, Vyas Karra, Vihaan Kulkarni, Aanya Ranasaria, Suhani Shah, and Olivia Thames. Several competitors originally ranked 8th, 9th, or lower ultimately earned their invitation to internationals through that process.

Below is the full list of Hamilton competitors advancing to ICDC:

Krishiv Badam
Yudhi Banda
Summer Callister
Priyanshi Das
Elise Davidson
Grant Davidson
Sid Devtale
Maia Dillow
Abbie Dong
Tony Edward
Dylan Frankovis
Shivansh Gautam
Alex Ghere
Keerthana Gopi
Niall Hunt
Vyas Karra
Shaanvi Konda Gopinath
Eesha Kothinti
Vihaan Kulkarni
Kensie Martin
Yuktha Muthukumar
Saanvi Nalla
Joe Oberlin
Arshia Parashar
Esha Praveen
Aanya Ranasaria
Ahaan Saxena
Wyatt Schultz
Suhani Shah
Devaj Sokhal
Chinmayi Swaminathan
Olivia Thames
Victoria Tran
Leesha Vanchireddy
Anushka Vijay

Hamilton DECA heads to Atlanta from April 24–29 to compete against students from around the world. Between the competition and excursions like Six Flags, the World of Coca-Cola, and the Georgia Aquarium, it's shaping up to be a great trip. Once again, congratulations to all competitors—we will see you in Atlanta!