Robert is a senior at Martin Luther King High School and is beyond thrilled to serve as your 2026–27 California DECA State President!

After first getting involved during his freshman year and quickly falling in love with DECA’s community, Robert has grown as a dedicated member and officer for the past three years. During that time, Robert has qualified for ICDC four times and won 2nd place glass at ICDC. In his junior year, he served as the Vice President of Southern California and President of the first Southern California District Action Team (DAT). Throughout that term, he created the foundation for the first SoCal DAT, hosted the first Industry Professional Champ Camp, introduced updated mini-conference guides, and revamped the Apprentice Program.

Beyond the business stage, Robert also has a passion for STEM. He enjoys engineering projects for Science Olympiad, competing at science fairs, and conducting research in his engineering lab. In his free time, he enjoys learning new songs on his guitar, playing basketball and tennis with friends, and constantly expanding his food palate by trying new delicious delicacies!

Robert plans to stay in California for college, where he hopes to study business and engineering. His long-term goal is to pursue a career in tech sales, using the knowledge and experience gained from both DECA and his university education. Through his time in DECA, he has found it to be the ideal platform to develop leadership skills and strengthen his public speaking abilities through competition and networking, all while having fun with driven, like-minded individuals. Robert cannot wait to serve as your State President and lead alongside Team 76!

Katherine Ong is a Senior at Granada Hills Charter High School and is thrilled to serve as your 2026 – 2027 Vice President of Leadership. Since her freshman year, Katherine has been actively involved in her DECA chapter where she served as the former Vice President of Hospitality and the current Vice President of Leadership. As an officer, Katherine has boosted her chapter’s ICDC qualifying rate by 2.5 times and has personally qualified twice for ICDC.

Beyond DECA, Katherine is also an active member of her school’s Model UN team, where she serves as Deputy Secretary-General. She also works in the editorial sphere as Design Maestro for her school yearbook and Executive Director of her own literary journal Foreign Focus. In her free time, she enjoys making matchas, trying new restaurants, and watching movies.

Katherine plans to pursue a degree in international business and hopes to attend a university on the East Coast, with her dream school being Georgetown University. She is grateful for her chapter advisors, fellow officers, alumni, and mentors that have guided her DECA journey and is excited to serve Team 76!

Ruby Han is a Senior at Valley Christian High School and is honored to serve as your 2026-2027 Vice President of Marketing. Ruby has been involved in DECA ever since freshman year, and additionally served as her chapter’s Mentorship Officer for two years. In this position, Ruby co-hosted Event Exploration, sorted mentor pods for 220+ students, and mentored 5 state finalists and 12 district finalists. Through her DECA experience, Ruby grew a stronger interest for Business and is grateful to be able to connect with different students across the state.

Beyond DECA, Ruby is involved in various clubs, non-profits, and received work experience from internships. She built her artistic judgment through painting classes and creating YouTube videos. However, she obtained formal marketing experience through interning at BayTech Digital and being a Marketing Officer for two school clubs. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, shopping with friends, and photographing her day-to-day life.

Ruby plans to pursue a degree in Business Administration at a university either in Southern California or New York City. She is looking forward to meeting new people and experiencing a different environment that challenges her to grow in character. She is very excited to serve alongside Team 76!

Ishan Sharma is the 2026–2027 Vice President of Northern California and a senior at Foothill High School. He previously served as Foothill DECA’s Director of Communications, where he focused on chapter outreach, social media, and helping members stay connected with opportunities across the organization. Ishan joined DECA as a sophomore and quickly found a community of ambitious students who challenge each other to grow, take risks, and pursue their goals.

Through DECA, Ishan developed a strong interest in business, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Being part of Foothill DECA gave him the opportunity to collaborate with driven students, build new ideas, and help create an environment where members feel supported and encouraged to push themselves. As Director of Communications, he focused on sharing chapter initiatives, strengthening outreach, and helping members stay engaged with everything happening in DECA.

More than anything, Ishan believes DECA is a community where students can develop confidence, explore new interests, and grow alongside people who share the same drive to succeed. Inspired by the leaders who helped him grow as a member, he chose to serve as a state officer so he could give back to the organization that has meant so much to him. During his term, Ishan hopes to connect with members across California, support their goals, and help make DECA a place where everyone feels encouraged to try new things and grow as leaders.

Rishav Mehta is the 2026-2027 Vice President of Silicon Valley and a senior at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. He also serves as BISV DECA’s Vice President of Marketing. Rishav joined DECA in his freshman year and, since then, has never looked back. DECA has taught Rishav lessons that allow him to be a better version of himself, whether that’s in competition or in leadership. Rishav is a 3-time ICDC Qualifier with a strong interest in finance and investing. Outside of DECA, Rishav considers himself an experimental altruist, always thinking up business ideas that are aimed at helping the world.

More than anything, Rishav hopes to help California DECA remain a place where ambitious ideas can grow. As someone who enjoys experimenting with new business concepts and initiatives, he hopes to encourage members to take risks, think outside the box, and use business as a means of making a positive impact. Rishav’s community-focused mindset isn’t just limited to DECA, though; in the future, Rishav hopes to aid the battle against poverty by pursuing a degree in finance and using investing and entrepreneurship as tools to create meaningful economic opportunity at a university in Southern California or on the East Coast. “Big ideas start with people willing to try them,” he says. During his term, he hopes to inspire others to develop the same passion for DECA and push the limits of what they believe is possible.

Serving as your 2026-2027 Vice President of Southern California, Kyra is a senior at Martin Luther King High School who is incredibly enthusiastic to serve California DECA. Over her past three years in DECA, Kyra has served as her chapter’s president and most notably placed 2nd in the world at ICDC 2025 in MTDM. Last year, Kyra served on the first ever SoCal District Action Team as the VP of Marketing. During her term, she increased social media presence by 700% and connected with chapters across Southern California through chapter visits, workshops, and help sessions. Now, as the President of the second DAT, she is excited to continue building connections, supporting chapters, and helping members make the most of their DECA experience.

Outside of DECA, Kyra is a strong advocate for Career and Technical Education (CTE) and serves as Riverside Unified School District’s Sales & Marketing CTE Ambassador. She has spoken at numerous events promoting CTE to students, parents, and industry professionals.

Kyra believes the best part of DECA is the incredible community and lifelong friendships formed through competing, networking, and traveling together. She encourages everyone to make the most of the opportunities conferences bring to grow as a competitor and meet like-minded peers. Kyra is so grateful to everyone she has met on her DECA journey and is so honored to give back to California DECA alongside the brilliant Team 76!