Students from Apple Valley, Eastview, and Rosemount High Schools earned top honors at the 2025 Minnesota DECA State Conference, held March 2-4 in Minneapolis. The annual event drew more than 6,000 high school students from across the state to compete in over 70 events focused on entrepreneurship, finance, hospitality, marketing, and other business-related fields.

DECA competitions challenge students to apply academic knowledge to real-world business scenarios, helping prepare them for future careers by integrating classroom lessons with professional experience, industry connections, and competitive opportunities.

"It teaches you real-life skills that you'll need regardless of what field you want to [pursue]," said Molly Pitzen, "even if it's not business or hospitality or marketing. I think that DECA truly has been one of the most beneficial things that I've ever been a part of in high school, especially in terms of preparing for college. I have learned 21st-century skills that I would not have been able to learn in any other program. I feel more confident about entering the workforce. Any person can walk out of DECA feeling like they have more confidence to be a professional."

"Every generation gets criticized because they don't have this soft skill or that soft skill. Well, [DECA] teaches those soft skills. It teaches them interpersonal communication. It teaches them how to handle conflict. It teaches them problem-solving. It teaches them communication for the business world and for life," said Rosemount High School DECA Advisor Ryan Harrison. "We make every student do the job interview event because they're going to have to interview at some time in the future. So we teach them not only to be involved in the event, but how to do it well."

"When alumni reach back out—whether it be a text, an email, a phone call, run into them at the grocery store—and they say, 'Hey, I just want to let you know I use what I learn in DECA all the time.' That makes me the happiest advisor in the world, because that's what it's about. If they can take a piece of their DECA experience and carry it forward, that's learning. And that's really what we're trying to accomplish here." Harrison added.

DECA competitions require students to prepare a business scenario and present a response to a panel of judges. For her state championship, Molly Pitzen was challenged to develop a new apparel line and present a marketing strategy. Winning the event earned her an invitation to the 2025 DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC), which will take place this spring in Orlando, Florida. Pitzen will join twenty-four District 196 students, representing Rosemount, Eastview, and Apple Valley High Schools at the DECA International Conference later this spring.

Rosemount High School National Qualifiers: 

• Roy Anderson and Sujit Penmasta – Entrepreneurship Team Decision-Making (2nd in State)
• Logan Dy and Maxwell Ellis – Travel and Tourism Team Decision-Making (4th in State)
• Max Kowalski – Franchise Business Plan (2nd in State)
• Joseph Mackinac and Max Raimondo – Sports and Entertainment Team Decision-Making (2nd in State)
• Grace Mensink and Alexis Olson – Buying and Merchandising Team Decision-Making (3rd in State)
• Molly Pitzen – Apparel and Accessories Marketing (1st in State)
• Nicholas Garnsworthy – Entrepreneurship Series
• Sylvia Atkinson and Sarah Labarere – Travel and Tourism Team Decision-Making

Eastview High School National Qualifiers:

• Vraj Amin – Start-Up Business Plan
• Sayf Aziz – Business Services Operations Research
• Evelyn Clark and Neha Nair – Entrepreneurship Team Decision-Making
• Grace Johnson – Accounting Applications Series
• Hareesh Kumar and Ranganath Shekhar – Start-Up Business Plan
• Rohan Saarang and Matthew Vengal – Business Services Operations Research
• Nirav Singhal – Business Finance Series
   

Apple Valley High School National Qualifiers:

• Lucy LaLiberte – Principles of Finance
   

These students will represent District 196 and the state of Minnesota in international competition against top business qualifiers from across the globe. DECA International has nearly 300,000 members from all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Canada, China, Germany, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Spain. For more information, visit www.mndeca.org.