Medal Haul for DECA Ryerson Team

The members of the Ryerson University DECA team, all students from the Ted Rogers School of Management, returned from the DECA International Career Development Conference with 28 medals and three plaques, including a championship gold, in tow. DECA is an international organization whose mission is to prepare “emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.” The Ryerson University chapter, with more than 300 members, takes part in DECA business competitions and provides service to the larger Toronto community through monthly service projects, such as an annual toy drive for underprivileged children as well as other professional opportunities for TRSM students to build their skills in competition, networking and leadership.

DECA is an entry-level student organization with a membership of largely first- and second-year students,” said Ravi Persaud, the incoming executive vice-president of the DECA Ryerson chapter. “Its appeal is broader than that of a course union, for example. The members join because they want to develop leadership skills.

The DECA International Career Development Conference, held this year in Washington, D.C. from April 23 to 26, brought together more than 2,000 university students from a number of countries, including a Canadian contingent comprising 48 students, including 18 from TRSM. During the conference, attendees competed in tests and case competitions in their chosen business fields. In preparation for competition, members new to the Ryerson team were mentored by team members from past years.

The case competition makes you learn how to think on your feet, how to think critically and how to solve problems,” said Persaud. “The tests are more like studying for an exam, and since we’re all business students, they’re not so frightening.

Business management students Amy Saini and Jasleen Bains conquered the field, winning the overall championship in the business-to-business competition, while Momin Baig, an entrepreneurship student, earned a second-place finish in the Hotel and Lodging competition. To reach the podium, they each took a test in their field and presented two case studies to the judges. The rest of the hardware came from TRSM students placing among the top 20 in their field in the preliminary case presentation, the top 10 in their field in the test, the top 10 overall and the top 10 among those competitors in a field who made it to the second and final round of case presentations.

To watch students we’d mentored go to D.C. and return with medals was a great feeling,” said Persaud, who will enter his third year as an Accounting major in the fall “We were successful as a group, which is really good for Ryerson’s reputation.

Achievents Of TRSM/Ryerson At Competition:

• 28 medallions – Top medals from cases, testing & overall score
• 3 Plaques – Top 3 the category overall