For the first time since pre-COVID, Glacier Peak sent students to the DECA International Career Development Conference (better known as ICDC.) Eight students, seven of which would be competing to bring home glass, woke up early on the morning of April 20 to catch a flight to Orlando, Florida. Seniors Jack Allman, Kevin Villasenor, Miriam Nichols, and Chloe Nacorra-Scruggs each competed in the school-based Enterprise category, representing the Grizzly Den. “[Competing as a senior] was a mix of happy and sad emotions,” Nichols said.  

 Junior Kate Webb competed in the Apparel and Accessories series, while myself and fellow media student Justin Yormark competed in the Sports and Entertainment Team Decision. “[Trev and I] like to joke around and make comments about each other but when it’s time to get serious we lock in and focus on the roleplay and cut the jokes out,” Yormark said. 

Sophomore Campbell Hughes also made the trip, attending various Future Leadership sessions while the rest of the students competed. 

Day one was spent traveling, as we landed in Tampa, Florida, and made the drive over to Orlando. The arrival at the hotel was spent with Ms. Sents marveling at the size of her room. “My hotel room was nice, and the size of it was definitely a pleasant surprise,” Sents said.  

Day two, Friday, began with an early wakeup call, as a trip to Disney World was on the agenda for the day. The day often consisted of trying to cool off from the Florida heat and playing tens of games of Heads Up while waiting in long lines. Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest was a fan favorite, with the group riding it twice almost consecutively. Then day three began the DECA festivities, as opening session was slated for that night. Though the beginning of the conference was looming, activities wouldn’t begin until after a day at Universal Studios. While I was immediately drawn to the water rides, hopping on Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls and Popeye’s Bilge Rat Barges right away, the rest of the group was drawn toward the famed Jurassic Park Velocicoaster. “The Velocicoaster was the best rollercoaster I’ve ever been on. It was a perfect mix of thrill and theming on the ride. Going upside down over the water was my favorite part,” Jack Allman said. 

When the day at Universal concluded, we headed back to the hotel to put on our finest professional dress and prepare for the Grand Opening Session. After making the short walk to the convention center, the group split off to trade pins with students from other states. My goal for the trip was to get a Texas pin, and luckily for me I was able to trade with Jack for one.  

Opening began with Ms. Sents’ favorite part, the parade of flags. Representatives went up on stage waving the flag of each participating country, province, and state. “I think the enthusiasm of the people who wave the flags and the number of countries who participate is amazing,” Sents said.

With that concluded, keynote speaker Sterling Hawkins took to the stage, describing a message of taking risks and hunting the feeling of being uncomfortable. The overall message of Hawkins’ speech was No Matter What. When Hawkins’ speech concluded, the famed Detroit Youth Choir took to the stage to perform a few songs. “[The choir was] so cool! They looked like they were having so much fun and I was blown away with their talent,” Webb said. The Choir capped off the night’s festivities, concluding the ceremony. 

Day four marked the beginning of the work, as Justin and I took our all-important written test. The rest of the day was spent trading pins, attending the DECA shop, and swimming in the pool. “Trevor bought me a hat at the DECA store because I bought him something right before we left so he owed me money,” Yormark said. In the evening, we piled back into the mini vans and headed to dinner at Buca Di Beppo, where the group thought it would be funny to convince the waiter that it was my birthday. “[The birthday was the] funniest and best night ever, everyone believed it and played along. Best fake birthday celebration I’ve ever been to,” Hughes said.  

After dinner, a trip to Disney Springs was in order. Kevin Villasenor purchased a watch from the Coca-Cola store, while I purchased shirts from the Columbia Outdoors and Pele Soccer stores. “I bought a watch to help keep time during my presentation and it’s the coolest one I own. Yes, I only own one, but you get the point. Now I can be as cool as the polar bears in the Coke ads,” Villasenor said. After returning to the hotel, the competing teams began to practice their roleplays and presentations for the day ahead.  

Day five, Monday, was the all-important Preliminary Competition Day. Jack, Kevin, Miriam, and Chloe each presented their branch of the Grizzly Den, with Jack and Kevin covering food while Miriam and Chloe covered the apparel side. “Kevin and I practiced our presentation over 20 times to get our timing down. We did it so much that we could do the whole presentation off the top of our heads, and when we actually went in to compete our timing was perfect,” Allman said. Justin and I also had our preliminary roleplay, being tasked with rebranding an NFL team. When competition concluded, we headed back to Universal for DECA night in the parks. The park closed early, allowing for a crowd of only DECA kids riding rides. I was separated from the group, and spent the night riding Jurassic Park River Adventure, even in the pouring rain. “DECA night was super fun, I went out of my shell and got two girls snaps,” Yormark said.  

Tuesday morning began with the mini-awards session, which would determine who moved on to the finals. Justin and I sat and waited, as our name was the last one called to make our way to the stage for our event. When we got up there, we were honored to hear our names announced as finalists for our event as the only representatives from Glacier Peak. After mini awards, the rest of the group headed off to Universal again while Justin and I stayed behind to compete in the finals roleplay. “We crushed our finals roleplay. We went in a little nervous knowing our chances at glass and a top-10 finish were on the line, but we locked in and had what might be our best roleplay yet,” Yormark said. 

After the final roleplay concluded, Justin and I met up with the rest of the group at Universal, looking to relieve some of the mounting stress that had begun to build. Around three hours later we headed back to the hotel to prepare for the Grand Awards Ceremony. Rocking DECA blazers for the final time on the trip, we then made our way back to the convention center to wait out what would be a long night. Our category was slated to be the last announced, meaning we’d have to sit and wait for a couple of hours. “[Sitting and waiting] was the worst two hours of my whole life, I felt like I was going to throw up the whole time. I wanted to win so badly, so sitting there with nothing to do was pretty difficult,” Yormark said.  

When the time came, we heard our names called and made our way to the stage, believing there could be a major trophy in the very near future. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, as we finished our run in fifth place. Not the major trophy, but still a large accomplishment nonetheless. The next morning, it was another early wakeup call as we made our way back to the airport, concluding a memorable trip for students and teachers alike.