Creative Minds Lead Sauk Rapids-Rice To DECA Success

Sauk Rapids-Rice took 152 individuals to the State DECA competition earlier this month and 47 of them did well enough to qualify for the National competition at the end of April in Atlanta.

Success Last Year Too

Sauk Rapids-Rice had 49 individuals qualify for the national competition last year.  Alexa and Nathan Welsh earn first place at nationals.  Sauk Rapids-Rice DECA Advisor Josh Bauer says they wrote a 20-page paper and did a 15-minute presentation on the St. Cloud Area Family YMCA.  Alexa and Nathan are siblings.

How Success Happens

Bauer credits the students as the reason for their success and their dedication to improving their craft and desire to get better.  He says his students are creative, they communicate well, are innovative and know what it takes to win.  Success in DECA at Sauk Rapids-Rice has been a long standing tradition according to Bauer.

What's Next

The 2026 DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) will be held in Atlanta, Georgia April 25-28. Over 20,000 high school students, advisors, and business professionals will gather at the Georgia World Congress Center

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Josh Bauer, click below.