Sacramento, California—July 22, 2014—Four members of the California DECA State Officer Team attended the 161st Annual State Fair in Sacramento to advocate for DECA and California Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO).
In attendance at the event, and manning the DECA booth, were Shreya Bommireddi, Dustin Chiang, Sophia Yang, and Albert Zeng. At the booth, fair attendees were encouraged to participate in the innovation challenge, in which the officers provided attendees with straws and tape and challenged them to create an innovative object in ten minutes, be it something that already exists or something entirely new. After the ten minutes, the attendees were challenged to pitch their invention and describe the features. Although the provided material was very limited and basic, some were able to create objects as complex as helicopters, windmills, and flowers. From morning to evening, the flow of students never ceased, and the DECA booth and innovation challenge were certainly big hits!
In addition, the officers met with California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, a strong supporter of DECA and other CTSOs.
Yet another opportunity that the officers capitalized on was connecting with other like-minded CTSO state officers, including those from Future Farmers of America (FFA), who were assisting with the agriculture booths at the fair.
Overall, the officer team was extremely successful in advocating for and representing California DECA at the State Fair, highlighting the drive for innovation that DECA sparks within students.
More information on the Career and Technical Education Exhibit at the State Fair can be found at http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/re/et/yr14et722.asp
