Record 168 Westonka DECA Students Compete at State; 47 Headed to Internationals
Record 168 Westonka DECA Students Compete at State; 47 Headed to Internationals
A school-record 168 Westonka High School DECA students competed at the 2026 State Career Development Conference and advanced 59 students to state finals.
Westonka DECA made a strong impression at the 2026 State Career Development Conference, held March 1-3 at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis. Westonka sent a school-record 168 students to compete, and following an exceptional showing, 47 students are headed to the 2026 International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta.
Westonka participated in 55 of the 59 events run at the state level. The top 16 students advanced to the final round in each individual role play, while the top 12 advanced in all other DECA categories. In total, Westonka advanced 59 students to finals, including 10 students who advanced in two events and nine who advanced in three events.
This year, Minnesota DECA advanced the top five in role play events and the top four finishers in paper projects to Internationals.
Notably, the Financial Literacy Chapter Project by juniors Annika Hagen and Val Mobagi and sophomore Grace Schrempp earned first place at the state competition. Additionally, junior August Lang placed first in the Restaurant and Food Service Management Role Play category for the second consecutive year.
The following students will represent Westonka at the 2026 ICDC April 24-28:
- Restaurant and Food Service Management Role Play – August Lang
- Retail Merchandising Role Play – Eli Koroba
- Integrated Marketing Campaign Service – Alex Gombola, Bella Grotte & Lily Kiner
- Innovation Plan - Drew Carlson, David Kalis & Gavin Lamey; Kaitlyn Lazenby, Brody Simpson & Devon Simpson
- School-Based Enterprise - Retail – Oliver Berg & Maria Sells
- School-Based Enterprise - Food – Jaicy Hamrick & Lizzy Nash
- Sports & Entertainment Operations Research Project – Georgia Harmer, Griffin Olson & Sydney Reier
- Business Solutions Chapter Project – Addie Bryan, Leif Hagen, & Edie Hollenstein,
- Financial Literacy Chapter Project – Annika Hagen, Val Mobagi & Grace Schrempp
- Virtual Business Challenge/Sports Track - Hayden Dehmer, Leon Kravchenko & George Pettitt
- Virtual Business Challenge/Hotel Track - Ali Butler, Sienna Dehmer & Maria Neumann
- Virtual Business Challenge/Fashion Track - Ethan Aud, Allison Kreiser & Will Mitlyng; Blake Ham & Thomas Mitlyng
- Virtual Business Challenge/Retail Track - Noah Huesmann, Dillon Peterson & Luke Sunnarborg; Aiden Huesmann, Elias Ottenbreit & Dane Sewell
- Elevate Academy – Maddie Carlson & Cal Pearson
- Thrive Academy – Brooklynn Beauchamp, Sadie Mulder, Ella Pozar, Gabrielle Reitan
Additionally, junior Ella McClellan was introduced as the Minnesota State DECA VP of Communication, and she will serve as an officer at the state level for the 2026-27 DECA season.