DECA is a relatively new club at Breck, established in 2022, but its members have already achieved high levels of success. During DECA District competitions—which took place in mid-January—eleven out of fifteen Breck students qualified for state championships, including two Breck students who placed top three in their events (Adē Stern ‘27 and Eileen Mortimer ‘27).
However, most Breck students haven’t even heard of DECA, let alone know what it is. DECA is a high school program for students who are interested in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management, with over 260,000 members from all fifty states and other countries. Members have the opportunity to compete in various events relating to these topics.
The Breck DECA program began in the 2022-2023 school year when Piper Crosby ‘24 and Elin Wellmann ‘24 decided to start the club with Mr. Sobas as the club advisor. The first year was mostly a trial run to see how the program would work, so the club did not participate in any competitions that year. However, last year, Breck DECA made their first appearance at the District 3 competition with seven students, and four of them qualified for state championships in March. At state, Adē Stern ‘27 placed in the top eight for her event, which was a mock interview.
This year, Breck DECA’s fifteen students are led by Mr. Sobas, as well as Ms. Coyne, who joined as a second faculty advisor this year. They prepared presentations and essays to present to the judges at districts, and eleven qualified for state championships in March. Our district includes almost a thousand students from the Twin Cities area.
The student leaders of the Breck DECA program hope to see it continue to expand, and are excited to see the progress the club will continue to make this year—some Breck students may even qualify for the international competition in Orlando, FL at the end of April!
The Breck DECA program is a great opportunity for students to learn more about business, whether they hope to pursue a career in the field or not. DECA prepares students for their futures by developing skills of leadership, public speaking, and teamwork.
