Dakota Junior Takes First Place at 2012 DECA International Conference

junior, Erika Burdt, made Chippewa Valley history this year, becoming the district’s first student to win the top place award at a DECA international conference.

Traveling to DECA’s 66th International Career Development Conference held April 29-May 1 in Salt Lake City, UT, Burdt took home first place in the Principles of Hospitality and Tourism category.

Defined as Distributive Education Clubs of America, DECA is a nonprofit student organization that prepares leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the world.

“This is an organization and a competition that is not just local and not even just in Michigan, but an international organization,” said Claire Brisson, director of Chippewa Valley career and technical education.

Around 12,000 high school students competed in this year’s DECA international conference, with Burdt ultimately facing some 160 students in the Principles of Hospitality and Tourism category.

In this portion of the competition, Burdt and others were given a written exam of 100 multiple-choice questions and judged during a role-play, or improvisational situation.

“I guess I did pretty well on (the exam),” Burdt said, recalling the experience for board members Monday’s Chippewa Valley school board meeting. Speaking of the conference as a whole, Burdt said she was glad to have had the opportunity to meet so many people and make such “great connections," especially as this was only her first year of competition.