GGUSD Students Advance to International Career Development Conference

• Wednesday, March 9, 2022

La Quinta High School students Nathan Le and Jennifer Phung will head to Atlanta in April to show off their business expertise at the DECA International Career Development Conference. The pair qualified for the international competition after placing in the top five at the DECA State Conference.

DECA is a Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) that is co-curricular with the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Business pathway offered at La Quinta High School. During the State Conference, students presented business projects in various industry-sector competitions, took industry skill-level exams, attended leadership workshops, heard presentations from industry leaders, and took advantage of a variety of networking opportunities.   

La Quinta’s DECA Club, under the leadership of teachers Jenine Rumble and Nick Ruzzi, had five students finish in the top 10 at the state level, competing against 1,200 students from nearly 40 schools from across California. La Quinta top 10 finishers include Le and Phung in the Travel and Tourism category, Emily Dang and Aivy Van in the Quick Serve Restaurant Management category and Fendi Le in the Hotel and Lodging Management category.

During the international competition in Atlanta, Le and Phung will compete alongside 20,000 students from across the globe.

DECA aims to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges, with more than 225,000 members from across the globe.

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