Holy Family DECA Sends Four Students to the ICDC After Strong Showing at Minnesota State Conference

In just its second year competing in DECA, Holy Family continues to establish itself as one of the fastest-growing programs in Minnesota.

A total of 80 Holy Family students qualified for the Minnesota DECA State Conference, a major increase from 53 qualifiers last year, highlighting the rapid growth of the school’s DECA chapter. Earlier this season, Holy Family students also delivered a strong showing at the District 4 competition, setting the stage for an impressive run at State.

Competing against more than 3,400 students from across Minnesota, Holy Family students advanced deep into the competition. They ultimately placed 11 students among the Top 12 state finalists across multiple business and marketing events. In addition, four students qualified for the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta later this spring.

The results place Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria, Minnesota alongside some of the state’s most established DECA programs, including large metro chapters from schools such as Minnetonka, Wayzata, and Eden Prairie.

Holy Family DECA State Results

Photo by FIRE Media, Ava ’28

Several Holy Family students earned top placements at the Minnesota DECA State Career Development Conference:

Honorable Mention — Will Otteson, Breck Neubauer & Pierce Rustowicz, along with all our Top 12 finalists — Grace Anseth, Kayla Quandt, Zack Sevcik, John Mackey, Ella Conti, Anna Buelow, Nicholas Colistra, and Griffin Johnson — an impressive accomplishment in Minnesota’s highly competitive DECA program.

What is the Minnesota DECA State Career Development Conference?

The Minnesota DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC) is the culminating competition for high school DECA chapters across the state. Each year, thousands of students compete in events focused on marketing, business management, entrepreneurship, finance, and hospitality and tourism.

This year’s conference included over 7,000 Minnesota DECA members statewide, with more than 3,400 students advancing to the State competition and only the Top 12 competitors in each event reaching the final round.

Holy Family Competes with Minnesota’s Largest DECA Programs

Minnesota DECA is widely considered one of the strongest state associations in the country, featuring powerhouse chapters from large metro schools.

Despite being a smaller school, Holy Family Catholic High School continues to perform at an elite level, consistently advancing students into state finals and earning podium finishes.

The program’s rapid growth—from 53 state qualifiers last year to 80 this year—demonstrates increasing student interest in business education, entrepreneurship, marketing, and leadership opportunities through DECA.

Holy Family DECA Program Momentum

The continued success of Holy Family DECA reflects the dedication of students, advisors, and mentors who prepare throughout the year for these competitions.

“I’m proud of all 80 of our competitors. After witnessing their performances at State, I truly believe the future is bright for Holy Family DECA. More importantly, all of them learned skills that will serve them well in the future.” — Sam Puff, Holy Family DECA Advisor

With participation growing rapidly and students consistently advancing to the highest levels of competition, the Holy Family DECA chapter continues to establish itself as one of the fastest-rising programs in Minnesota.