Thirteen members from Distributive Education Clubs of America qualified for the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta on April 25, advancing from their recent state conference and continuing the chapter’s streak of competitive success.

ICDC is a major annual event for state-qualifiers, advisors and business professionals to compete. The global networking event will feature leadership training at the Georgia World Congress Center along with a grand opening ceremony at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Between the final rounds of the competition, the qualifiers will have the opportunity to interact with recruiters from different companies.

From Feb. 26-21, Texas DECA State Career Development Conference took place at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. To qualify, students navigated multiple rounds of judging across nearly 60 categories in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. According to DECA, Chapters across Texas reported record-breaking numbers of state qualifiers. Thousands of students filled the ballroom as local qualifiers navigated multiple rounds of judging to earn the Texas DECA Glass Award, a trophy given to those who finish at the top of their events.

With the state trophies in their hands, the 13 students are official ICDC Qualifiers. They will join over 20,000 top-performing students from across the globe, representing the entire Texas delegation. Their success at the state level reflects the strength of the district’s Career and Technician Education programs and the dedication of the chapter advisers who mentored them through their projects.

 As the qualifiers begin their final round of preparations for Atlanta, these students have proven they can compete with the best in Texas and are ready to take their business expertise to the international stage.