Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Following the Michigan DECA State Competition, three Howell High School students qualified for the DECA International Competition while six runner-ups may have the opportunity to join them.

Bence Mate advanced in the Entrepreneurship Individual event, while Militza Algredo-Huerta and Jayden Zhang qualified in the Entrepreneurship Team event.

The runner-ups were Dylan Chamberlain, Elliott Busch, and Krystian Kubicz in the Team Building and Leadership event; Jack MacGregor and Kevin Wood in the Marketing Management Team event; and Bella Hodge in the Personal Selling event.

Runner-ups may still advance to the DECA International Competition through various pathways. The competition will be held in Orlando, Florida in April.

Additionally, three Howell students earned the state high score on the career cluster exam. Reagan Trent earned the top score in accounting, Blake Pearsall in marketing management, and Lance Mosher in business law and ethics. The test high score is awarded to the competitor with the highest raw score in their respective event.

Algredo-Huerta commented "My biggest challenge was trying not to let others get into my head. Some of the people there had previously advanced to the international competition, so I knew they were high-caliber competitors. However, I reminded myself that both Jayden and I put in the work to succeed. Advancing to the international competition has been a goal of mine since I joined DECA, and seeing it come to fruition has been incredibly rewarding. This win has also given me an opportunity to reflect on how grateful I am for the mentorship of Mr. Klein and Mr. Pashak. They instilled in me the discipline to succeed, and I hope bringing home glass makes them proud."

Zhang said “Participating in the Entrepreneurship Team Decision event has helped me grow by developing my communication skills, problem-solving, time management, and planning. Our reaction to winning and advancing to the international competition was complete shock and disbelief, but once they announced our names, that turned into pure joy and happiness."

DECA is an international organization designed to prepare students to be future ready by equipping them with essential skills such as critical thinking, communication, leadership, and time management. Participants also gain exposure to career paths, global business trends, and networking opportunities while earning scholarships and professional certifications.