Thirty-seven Collegiate DECA members from the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton and Fargo competed at the State Conference in February in Fargo, and earned a total of 13 medals. One-hundred-twenty students from eight different campuses competed against one another in a variety of simulations, case studies, and prepared events.

Finalists from NDSCS included:

Business Simulations:
• Joe Keavny – Accounting (Finalist)
• KaTina Thompson – Fashion Merchandising (Finalist)
• Tayler Rusch – Banking and Financial Services (1st Place)
• Emily Koenig – Fashion Merchandising (1st Place)
• Jourdan Harty – Hotel and Lodging (Finalist)
• Ben Gemar – Restaurant and Food Service Management (1st Place)
• Carin Kassa – Travel and Tourism (3rd Place)

Case Study Events:
• Joe Keaveny & Blake Pietron – Business Ethics (1st Place)
• Carin Kassa & Taylor Rusch – Event Planning (1st Place)
• Jonathan Wilson & Ben Gemar – Event Planning (2nd Place)
• Carin Kassa – Human Resource Management (1st Place)
• KaTina Thompson – Human Resource Management (2nd Place)
• Jake Legato – Marketing Management (3rd Place)
• Ian Uhrich – Sales Manager Meeting (2nd Place)

Prepared Events:
• Joe Keaveny & Blake Pietron – Entrepreneurship Growing Your Business (2nd Place)
• Jonathan Wilson – Professional Sales (3rd Place)

In addition, Heather Heyerman was elected to serve as the 2017-2018 State Association President.

NDSCS will send a delegation to the International Career Development Conference, which will be held in Anaheim, Calif. in April.

NDSCS Collegiate DECA’s mission is to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Nationwide, Collegiate DECA includes over 15,000 members in 275 colleges and universities.

North Dakota State College of Science has been awarded a two-year Career Ready Internship Grant of more than $150,000 from Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates. NDSCS anticipates that more than 60 new paid internships will be created during the 2017-2018 academic year.

NDSCS is one of 16 two-year institutions across Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin that received a combined $2.1 million to create over 1,000 internships. NDSCS will collaborate with businesses and nonprofit organizations to provide the greatest number of current and future students with an educational opportunity they might not otherwise have.

“Paid internships benefit students, colleges and employers,” said Richard D. George, Great Lakes President and Chief Executive Officer. “Students gain meaningful workplace skills and are more likely to earn degrees and use their internship experiences to help secure good jobs upon graduation. Colleges will see increased completion and job placement rates, and employers gain a pipeline to fresh talent. It’s a win-win-win.”

“With this two-year Career Ready Internship grant, NDSCS will help more than 60 students pay for college while gaining hands-on experience through an internship, which can also provide them with additional potential for long-term employment after graduation,” said Lisa Wixo, NDSCS Director of Student Success & Career Services. “This grant will also allow employers to offer internships that they might not have been able to fund without the grant dollars.”

NDSCS will spend the spring and summer of 2017 on administrative planning, employer outreach and student recruitment, as well as placing up to four students in paid internships. The remaining internships will take place in the 2017-18 academic year. The Great Lakes grant period continues through May 2018.