Amador Valley DECA

AV DECA drove up to San Ramon for this year’s three-day NorCal DECA Conference

On Jan. 12, Amador Valley’s DECA team traveled to San Ramon for the annual three-day long NorCal DECA Conference (NCDC).

“We go to NorCal every year and it’s our first major event. It gives new members a chance to learn how competitions work without having high stakes of placing for the national conference (ICDC). They get to learn and experience what DECA is all about before the state competition,” said AVHS DECA Officer Sriya Pasala (‘24).

Competing against other Northern-California DECA chapters, Amador’s team practiced and presented roleplays and writtens all throughout the 13th. Though the day was stressful for many, students used the chance to network with judges and other high school judges.

“My team and I worked on our written for a few months. Finally presenting it was nerve-wracking, but it also helped me gain more confidence. The roleplay was a new experience for me since I had never done it in front of a proper judge before, but it helped me think creatively and work on my speaking skills,” said AVHS DECA member Manassa Sankarakrishnan (‘24).

Exploring the San Ramon City Center and surrounding area together was also an excellent bonding experience for the team. The DECA dance-and-game night gave students a chance to interact with people from other chapters while having fun.

“I was able to spend more time with my friends from Amador at NorCal. We also celebrated one of their birthdays so I’m glad I could be there for that. Overall I just had a great time meeting everyone,” said Foothill High School DECA member Michael Liu (‘25).

NCDC came to a successful conclusion on the final day. 11 Amador students made it to top three, and over 45 were top ten finalists during the awards ceremony.

“It’s my first year, so it was really exciting to go on stage and place for an event I did. Seeing others I know go up on stage and cheering them on as they win was so much fun,” said Sankarakrishnan.

Amador’s DECA team is now preparing for the Southern California DECA Conference (SCDC), which will be held during March in Anaheim. 

“In SCDC, we can qualify for the national conference, ICDC, so stress levels are a bit higher. But it’s still so much fun since we are able to bond with everyone and explore Anaheim. Last year, we also went to Disneyland which was a great break from the competition,” said Pasala.