International Career Development Conference 2011

Another fantastic ICDC was filled with chances to show off our skills, learn, network, and have fun. Of course we're all there first and foremost for the competition and SLCC had 11 members competing this year. Their events were:
Adrien Covington & Landon Bowden - Advertising Campaign
Emily Dziatlik - Advertising Campaign
Cherie Beam - Travel and Tourism
Crystle Rosales - Entrepreneurship
Dina Miranda - Fashion Merchandising
Karen Jorgensen - Marketing Management
Kate Conrow - Sales Representative
Levi Lindsay - National Management Institute
Mike Pham - Retail Management
Tony Archuleta - Restaurant and Food Service

We had several members reach the finals and two members place in the top three this year: Emily Dziatlik and Kate Conrow!

In addition to competition there are other ways states, chapters, and members can all be recognized for various involvement within Collegiate DECA. The chapter and individual Passport Awards, Community Service Award, state and chapter Leadership Awards, State Membership Increase, and Voting Delegates are all shown through different colored ribbons that can be attached to an attendee's name tag. This year our members each proudly displayed from three to six ribbons. We all felt like champions as other chapters looked longingly at our colorful, and elongated, name tags.

Other conference awards included Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, an award that recognizes "outstanding merit and accomplishment" and the Honor Award, which recognizes Collegiate DECA members for "high scholastic achievement and for participation in Collegiate DECA activities." Recipients included:
Who's Who
Adrien Covington
Dina Miranda
Emily Dziatlik
Karen Jorgensen
Kate Conrow
Linda Staker
Marilee Black
Mike Pham
Scott Dean

Honor Award
Adrien Covington
Emily Dziatlik
Karen Jorgensen
Kate Conrow

Of course we can't forget to mention that we now have a National Officer at SLCC!! Congratulations to Emily Dziatlik!!!

Fun activities from the conference included visits to Universal Studios, Disneyland, Arabian Nights, the hotel's swimming pool, and possibly my chapter's favorite, Bahama Breeze restaurant.

I chose the song in the video because of the lyrics. Many of the words are so inspirational. To me they describe the members of DECA who are not content to float through life, we take everything we can from it. See some of the lyrics below.

"I fly with the stars in the skies,
I am no longer trying to survive,
I believe that life is a prize,
But to live doesn't mean you're alive."

"In this very moment I'm king,
In this very moment I slay, Goliath with a sling,
This very moment I bring
Put it on everything, that I will retire with the ring,
And I will retire with the crown, Yes!
No I'm not lucky I'm blessed, Yes!
Clap for the heavyweight champ, Me!
But I couldn't do it all alone, We!"

"put ya drinks up, it's a celebration every time we link up
We done did everything they can think of
Greatness is what we on the brink of."

"everybody dies but not everybody lives!"

[Chorus]
I wish that I could have this moment for life, for life, for life
Cuz in this moment I just feel so alive, alive, alive

I wish that I could have this moment for life, for life, for life
Cuz in this moment I just feel so alive, alive, alive