Burke DECA has had a very busy year, with many fundraisers and business ventures going on throughout the school year. They’ve organized dodgeball and volleyball tournaments, held competitions, and sold t-shirts for breast cancer research.

Over spring break, the state DECA competition was held on March 17 and 18 in Lincoln. Nine students in total from Burke competed. One of those nine was sophomore Kinverly Franco. Franco talks about how state is ran typically.

“There are various categories in the competition, so you go into whatever you’re interested in or understand best, and your proposal is based on that. We also have elections for our State DECA officers, and other events going on, too,” Franco said.

Burke did very well in this competition, with several students placing high. Senior Taya Baker placed first in hotel and lodging. Junior Hamdi Mohamud placed third in principles of business. Juniors Megan King and Maddy Roberts placed third in hospitality team. Hope Holcomb was in the top 8 for principles of hospitality, and Franco placed fourth in businesses services.

“I placed 4, so I did well. During the Grand Awards Ceremony, I was able to get up on stage and receive a medal,” Franco stated. “I loved competing, but I also loved all the people I was able to meet and talk with! Overall, it was so much fun, and I’m very glad to have this experience and look forward to the future competitions!”

As a whole, DECA has raised awareness about many different charities and nonprofits in the community.
One DECA member that has gone above and beyond using her knowledge from the club is junior Megan King. She has held several fundraising events this year, including sucker sales during the winter basketball games, several fundraising nights, and shirt sales.

King is a part of UNMC’s High School Alliance Program. This program helps students who are interested in the healthcare field get hands-on experience. It allows them to shadow and take classes from UNMC’s healthcare professionals. She raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

“I am very interested in cancer research and I hope to pursue cancer research in the future. This campaign program is a way for me to help people who are being impacted by cancer now rather than waiting for the future,” King said.

These fundraisers have been very successful. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is dedicated to researching and finding cures for blood cancers, and helping those affected and their families. All of the funds raised will be going straight to LLS.

“I have raised $7,400 so far,” King said. “I have had a Chipotle night, a babysitting night, sold suckers at basketball games, and sold shirts.”

DECA teaches students a lot about business and how to run a successful one. King has taken what she’s learned and applied it to her real life. There are also many other things DECA members do and participate in.

“There’s lots of things to do in DECA. We do stuff around the school like small competitions and things to encourage school engagement with the chapter. Students also sometimes have projects related to marketing, management or community awareness, it’s a lot of fun to be a part of those projects,” Franco said. We have the Fall Leadership Conference, which allows for an opportunity to learn work and leadership skills, and it gives you the chance to be social and get to know awesome people.”