Nebraska DECA Recognizes State Award Winners

Nebraska DECA students and advisors met for their 67th annual State Career Development Conference in Lincoln March 14-15, 2024, at the Marriott Cornhusker Hotel.

More than 600 high school students and advisers from 35 chapters attended the conference to compete in more than 40-chapter, team, and individual events, attend leadership workshops, and celebrate the success of Nebraska DECA.

High school students placing first, second, or third in the competitive events and first or second in the prepared events qualified to compete at the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Anaheim, California April 27-May 1st. 

DECA is a career and technical student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools around the globe. There are 1,500 high school members statewide and over 255,000 members worldwide.

The 2024-2025 Nebraska DECA State Officers are:
Raylie Hollingsworth, Millard North High School, president
Adan Morfin, South High School, secretary
Brandon Hansen, Lincoln Southwest High School, vice president
Abigail Baker, Millard West High School, vice president
Faith Frye, Sidney High School, vice president

Nebraska DECA Outstanding Service Rory Fulcher, Javi’s Tacos

Nebraska DECA Award of Merit Mary Janssen, Nebraska Department of Education and Nebraska DECA

Scholarship Winners
Alexius Sipp, Millard South
Johnathan Meza, Sidney
Katelyn Shimic, Gering
Jaclyn Johnson, Millard West

School Based Enterprise Gold Level Certification
Millard South High School
Scottsbluff
Sidney High School
Westside High School

Virtual Business Challenge Winners
Abigail Jarrell-Bryan
Sienna Stone-Bryan
Andrea Morales Quintero-Bryan
Kinverly Franco-Burke
Daniel Barholz-Burke
Amelia Olson-Benson
Brody Losole-Central

DECA Chapter Campaign Winners
Burke High school
Central High School
Gering High School
Hastings High School
Lincoln East High School
Millard North High School
Millard South High School
Millard West High School
Papillion LaVista High School
Papillion LaVista South High School
Westside High School

DECA Membership Campaign Winners
Bellevue West High School
Gering High School
Papillion LaVista High School
Papillion LaVista South High School
Westside High School

Advisor Years of Service Awards 
5 years-Jennifer Roth, Bellevue West
5 years-Jesse Fitzke, Scottsbluff
5 years-Kalen Carlson, Westside
10 years- Ally Gilin, Papillion LaVista South
15 years- Brittany McPhilips, Central City

DECA Member of the Year Kevin Wang, Millard North

DECA Chapter of the Year  Millard South High School

Competitive Event Winners and ICDC Qualifiers

Business Operations Research Events
Business Services: 1st place Jenkins/Sipp Millard South, 2nd place Koranda Millard North
Buying and Merchandising: 1st place Dixon/Parker Millard Sotuh 2nd place: Cook/Murugan Millard North
Finance: 1st place Groenjes/Ketterer Millard South, 2nd place Hollingsworth Millard North
Hospitality and Tourism: 1st place Bornhoft/Hasenjager Millard North, 2nd place Crouch/Rios Gering High School
Sports and Entertainment: 1st place Anderson/Robinson Millard South, 2nd place Sookram/Zaragoza  Millard North

Project Management Events
Business Solutions: 1st place Johnson/Ray Millard West, 2nd place Franco, Burke
Career Development Project: 1st place Reeves/Weiss/White Westside
Community Awareness: 1st place Bol/Cortes Papillion LaVista South, 1st place: Luke/McIlhon/Velasquez Millard West
Community Giving: 1st place Tran Millard West, 2nd place Chick/Hayden Papillion LaVista South
Financial Literacy: 1st place Schmucker Millard North
Sales Project: 1st place McDonald/Painter Scottsbluff

Entrepreneurship Events           
Innovation Plan- Fehr Westside
Start Up Business Plan- 1st place Moravec Gering, 2nd place Shefsky Westside
Independent Business Plan- 1st place Brown/Hawley Gering, 2nd place Dornbier sidney
Franchise Business Plan: 1st place Geiseman/McDonald/Nallani Westside
Growth Plan: Barajas Millard South

Integrated Marketing Campaign
Event: 1st place Atlas/Tracy/Van Gelder Westside
Product: 1st place Callahan Millard North, 2nd place Losole/Losole Central
Service: 1st place Aguirre-Valdez/Salvador-Huerta Central, 2nd place Kader/Kolhof Millard South

Professional Selling and Consulting
Financial Consulting: 1st place Dorshorst Scottsbluff , 2nd place Blomstedt Scottsbluff
Hospitality and Tourism: 1st place Shaddick Scottsbluff, 2nd place Mosier Westside
Professional selling: 1st place Bentley Scottsbluff, 2nd place Zatechta Westside

Principles of Business Management Events
Business Management and Admin:
in 3rd place: Mackenzie Frederick (Papillion LaVista High School)
In 2nd place:  Ninshanth Kandala (Millard North High School)
in 1st place:  Isabel Casas (Millard West High School

Finance:
in 3rd place: Teja Sridher (Millard North High School)
in 2nd place:  Niharika Kandari (Elkhorn North High School)
in 1st place:  Owen Wahl (Westside High School) 

Hospitality:
in 3rd place: Ayak Aguer (Papillion LaVista South High School)
in 2nd place: Ahnika Ficken (Millard North High School)
in 1st place: Amelia Copple (Westside High School) 

Marketing:
in 3rd place:  Piper Zatechta (Westside High School)
in 2nd place:  Taylana Tolbert (Bellevue East High School)
in 1st place:  Hafsa Osman (Central High School) 

Individual Series Events
Accounting Applications:
in 3rd place: Caleb Rowe (Central City High School)
in 2nd place:  Dominique Curry (Bellevue East High School)
in 1st place: Wesley Chen (Millard North High School)

Apparel and Accessories Marketing:      
in 3rd place:  Emilee Bentley (Scottsbluff High School)
in 2nd place:  Nick Barajas (Millard South High School)
in 1st place:  Mayte Martinez (Millard North High School) 

Automotive Services:
in 3rd place: Connor Grell (Papillion LaVista High School)
in 2nd place:  Jared Gilbert (Papillion LaVista High School)
in 1st place:  Trace Leetch (Gering High School) 

Business Finance:
in 3rd place: Ajay Repakula (Millard North High School)
in 2nd place: Luke Uhlir (Sidney High School)
in 1st place:  Akhil Bettadapura (Millard North High School) 

Business Services:
in 3rd place: Madalynne George (Central High School)
in 2nd place: Wilson Dittman (Millard South High School)
in 1st place: Vincent Timberlake (Papillion LaVista High School)

Entrepreneurship:
in 3rd place: Cameron Unrau (Millard West High School)
in 2nd place: Param Bhakta (Hastings Senior High School)
in 1st place: Clarissa Selinger (Millard West High School)

Food Marketing:
in 3rd place: Linette Koranda (Millard North High School)
in 2nd place: Logan Pessini (Millard North High School)
In 1st place: Dylan Wiese (Millard South High School)

Hotel and Lodging:
in 3rd place: Maxwell Howell (Scottsbluff High School)
in 2nd place:  Isabelle Johnson (Central High School)
in 1st place: Rylee Anderson (Millard South High School) 

Human Resources:
in 3rd place: Katelyn Shimic (Gering High School)
in 2nd place:  Aadhav Krishna (Lincoln East High School)
in 1st place: Liana Koranda (Millard North High School)

Marketing Communications:
in 3rd place:  Alexandra Parker (Millard South High School)
in 2nd place: Georgie Shere (Papillion LaVista South High School)
in 1st place: Olivia Ray (Millard West High School) 

Personal Financial Literacy:
in 3rd place: Colin Ketterer (Millard South High School)
in 2nd place: Abbie Siemonsma (Plattsmouth High School)
in 1st place:  Ryan Tracy (Westside High School) 

Quick Serve Restaurant:
in 3rd place:  Patrick Kuyper (Millard North High School)
in 2nd place: Sandarika Warjri (Lincoln Southwest High School)
in 1st place: Mitch Moravec (Gering High School) 

Restaurant and Food Service:
in 3rd place: Leah Zhu (Millard West High School)
in 2nd place: Desiree Steffen (Central High School)
in 1st place: Amber Knapp (Millard South High School) 

Retail Merchandising:
in 3rd place: Noah Behrens (Millard West High School)
in 2nd place: Tatum Stanley (Millard South High School)
in 1st place: Jake Schuller (Lincoln East High School) 

Sports and Entertainment Marketing:
in 3rd place: Alex Shaeffer (Lincoln Southwest High School)
in 2nd place: Spencer Krenk (Lincoln Southwest High School)
in 1st place:  Zaidah Lightener (Papillion LaVista South High School) 

Team Decision Making Events
Business Law and Ethics
in 3rd place: Brislen, Buscher (Westside High School)
in 2nd place:  Deas, Roberts (Burke High School)
in 1st place:  Gupta, Pinapati (Millard North High School) 

Buying and Merchandising
in 3rd place: Durand/ Nelson (Millard West High School)
in 2nd place:  Glaser/Thoms (Millard North High School)
in 1st place:  Bargholz/Franco (Burke High School) 

Entrepreneurship
in 3rd place: Liu/Lu (Millard North High School)
in 2nd place: Caverzagie/O'Neill (Papillion LaVista South High School)
in 1st place: Jenkins/Sipp (Millard South High School)

Financial Services
in 3rd place: Heinold/Roberts (Scottsbluff High School)
in 2nd place: Krishnan/Lei (Millard North High School)
in 1st place: McIlhon/ Velasquez (Millard West High School)

Hospitality Services
in 3rd place: den Hoed, Richardson (Papillion LaVista South High School)
in 2nd place: Christensen, Rao (Millard North High School)
in 1st place: Deyke, Hippe (Papillion LaVista South High School) 

Marketing Management:
in 3rd place: Cisler, Sanderson (Millard North High School)
in 2nd place: DyBose, Rourke (Burke High School)
in 1st place: Hickenbottom, Nielsen-Hruska (Millard North High School) 

Sports and Entertainment
in 3rd place: Duggan/Rutan (Millard South High School)
In 2nd place: Glasgow/Yeh (Millard North High School)
in 1st place: Krapfl, Thompson (Burke High School) 

Travel and Tourism
in 3rd place:  Hoke/Trudell (Papillion LaVista South High School)
in 2nd place: Daily/Haecke (Millard South High School)
in 1st place: Bhowmick/Magesh (Millard North High School)