By: Timothy Chhor

Photos taken by Patricia Brizzi and collaged on Canva

Friday, February 9th, St. A’s DECA team gathered at the Sheraton Center Toronto, 123 Queen St W, to compete in the 45th annual DECA Ontario Provincial competition. 

Competitors were St. A DECA’s finest, those who distinguished themselves and moved on to a provincial stage. 6 climbed even further, stood out from the thousands that competed and won awards that placed them in the top 15% of their respective categories. They offer advice to next year’s St. A DECA team.

From Alyssa Lapakulchai, one of St. A DECA’s co-presidents, is advice on performing well during roleplays:

“For next year, use the resources provided to you to practice as much as possible. When you’re doing roleplays, be confident! Regardless of how well your roleplay is done, confidence helps you differentiate yourself from the other competitors. On the note of standing out, a good, signature introduction and conclusion helps you a lot during your roleplay, but leave yourself room for creativity.”

From Clara Fu, St. A DECA’s entrepreneurship cluster trainer, is advice on choosing a cluster and preparing for the competition: 

“When choosing clusters, try picking something that excites you rather than what you think would boost your resume – interest is what will make the journey more fun for both yourself and the judge! Also, make sure you are willing to put in the work and study beforehand for the roleplay and exam. You never know how much 1 or 2 hours of extra prep beforehand can increase your chances of winning something!”

From Ryson Yau, a past ICDC qualifier, is advice on how to utilize Performance Indicators (PIs): 

“A big part of roleplays are PIs, so study PIs relevant to your event. They’re online, so get familiar with them. Practice by defining your PI and giving real life examples that relate back to your case. In your roleplay, talk about PIs first. If you don’t know the PI’s, based on what the PIs say, make things up.”

From Ryman Yau, a past JOT case competition national qualifier, is advice on how and what to study, as well as how to appear confident:

“You should get familiar with business terminology and performance indicators because they are worth the most marks. Do practice cases and exams. During the roleplay, sit at the edge of your chair and have your back straight, stay confident and if you don’t know something, fake it till you make it.”

From Ryan Song, a talented individual and qualifier for ICDC, the DECA international competition, is advice on your demeanor during the competition:

“Learn how to talk and act professionally. Use concepts those in the business world would be familiar with. Impressing the judge on these two criteria puts you far ahead of other competitors.”

Finally, from Manuel Lanza, whose hard work placed him in the top 11% of his category, is a concise and impactful statement that accurately describes how St. A’s DECA operates. His quote says a lot about his own work ethic and dedication to excellence. Remember it.

“Whatever you put in, is what you get out.”

Best wishes to Ryan Song, who qualified for ICDC and will head to America to compete in late April. Congratulations to the 6 award winners at DECA provincials, whose hard work was rewarded. Thank you, to Ms. Brizzi, to the executive team and all of St. A’s DECA members for another successful year.

Works Cited

‌Fu, Clara. Interview. Conducted by Timothy Chhor. February 19, 2024

Lanza, Manuel. Interview. Conducted by Timothy Chhor. February 19, 2024

Lapakulchai, Alyssa. Interview. Conducted by Timothy Chhor. February 19th, 2024

“Ontario DECA – Engage. Educate. Empower.” Deca.ca, 2023, deca.ca/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2024.

Song, Ryan. Interview. Conducted by Timothy Chhor. February 20, 2024

Yau, Ryman. Interview. Conducted by Timothy Chhor. February 20, 2024

Yau, Ryson. Interview. Conducted by Timothy Chhor. February 20, 2024