Zack Gross ’25 made Beaver history this year when he became the first DECA club member to qualify and attend the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Anaheim, California. The ICDC is the culmination of the DECA year, bringing together over 20,000 high school students to showcase their work and compete on an international stage. Out of hundreds of students, Zach placed 5th in his category.
Zack’s journey to ICDC started his sophomore year when he decided to join DECA. DECA–a club designed to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management–meets weekly at Beaver. Students in DECA are offered a variety of ways to get involved, with some choosing to focus on noncompetitive leadership events and others preparing materials to compete against other schools.
My favorite part about the club is that I get to take advantage of a really unique opportunity that Beaver provides. There’s nothing quite like it at the school.
-Zack Gross ’25
Zack elected to compete in the Franchise Business Plan category, which tasks students with developing a comprehensive business plan proposal to buy into an existing franchise. Preparing a written proposal and presenting it in an interview setting are requirements of the category. “The category is about adapting an existing business and finding a way for it to succeed,” Zack explains. “The prevalent idea is food franchises, but I decided that I was going to look at in-home care because it’s different and has more meaning.” Zack’s main inspiration in approaching an in-home care proposal was his grandmother; “I was thinking of her when I chose the category.”
Zack secured his spot at ICDC after competing in the DECA State Career Development competition earlier this year. After placing in the top 6 of his category, Zack took the feedback he received from the judges and immediately got to work planning for Anaheim.
At ICDC, several rounds of competition stood between Zack and the finish line. “I created a presentation of key points from my 20 page essay,” Zack shares. “I pitched it to the judges, kind of like a shark tank pitch.” Zack’s immense amount of hard work, research, and preparation paid off when he won in the preliminary round and moved on to the finals, where he eventually placed 5th overall.
My favorite part of this experience was getting called up on stage for winning the preliminary round. It went from about 200 finalists down to 18.
-Zack Gross ’25
Looking ahead, Zack plans to use what he’s learned at ICDC to help other club members; “I want to teach what I learned to other members so they can make it to ICDC next year.” Zack is also hopeful he will make it to ICDC again, with his sights set on winning big; “I was up there on stage and so close to winning. That’s a goal for next year.”
I am so proud of Zack and the entire club. To see that all of their hard work is paying off is incredible.
-Camila Martins, DECA Club Advisor