DECA is a professional development organization, with chapters spanning various countries across the globe. It develops young leaders, putting to the test students’ presentation skills and business knowledge in intense competitions with both a written and an oral component, in categories across many areas of business.

On January 15 and 16 in Toronto, University of Ottawa’s DECA Chapter shone onstage at the annual DECA U Provincial Competition at the Sheraton Centre. Of the chapter’s 148 members, 81 competed. Rivalry was strong, with delegations from 20 universities and colleges attending, and certain delegations reaching well over 100 competitors. However, for uOttawa the results of many months of intense training were evident with the following achievements:

Miranda Taing and Olga Koppel: 1st Place International Marketing Role Play

Miranda Taing and Olga Koppel: 1st Place International Marketing Overall

Aayush Shah: 2nd Place Travel and Tourism Role Play

Andy Yu: 2nd Place Role Play Business Financial Services Role Play

Sonia Alb and Anna Halawa: 2nd Place International Marketing Overall

Maxim Goldenberg: 3rd Place Accounting Role Play

Catherine Li: 3rd Place Human Resource Management Written

Josh Wamanga and Dustin Gao: 3rd Place PMI CASE BOSS Special Event

Neekita Bhatia and Divya Mehta: 3rd Place Business-to-Business Role Play

DECA uOttawa wishes to thank Matt Archibald, Diane Mugeni and the Telfer School of Management for providing the chapter with academic training and unwavering support over months of preparation. It would also like to recognize the dedication of Eva Lin (President) and Anna Halawa (Vice President), as well as Maxim Goldenberg, who spearheaded this year’s training program. What is more, the delegation’s immense success would not have been possible without the countless hours of work put in by the rest of the executive team: Aayush Shah, Shivdeep Pal, Nikita Gupta, Bobbi Nguyen, Andy Yu, Carissa Wong, and Rula AlHalbouni.

What’s next for DECA uOttawa? The chapter will be sending delegations to upcoming invitational competitions this semester at various universities across Ontario. It also has a chance to participate in the International Career Development Conference in Washington, DC.

DECA uOttawa has set high expectations for next year, but the chapter is confident that the soon-to-be-selected executive team will be up to the challenge.