On Sunday, March 1, one hundred ninety-six Wayzata students walked through the Minneapolis Hyatt Regency with the hopes of a trophy and qualification spot for ICDC. At the 2026 State Conference, competition was more fierce than ever with 3,200 competitors in attendance, a drastic jump from the 2,800 last year. After months of rehearsing scripts, creating engaging visual aids, and taking practice tests, competitors put their best foot forward and presented in front of judges.
By the end of the competition, fifty-six members of Wayzata DECA advanced to ICDC! They will be competing against some of the best the world has to offer. ICDC will be held in Atlanta, Georgia where over 20,000 competitors from nine countries will gather.
Kareena Acharya – Independent Business Plan – 4th
Aman Agrawal – Sports and Entertainment Team Decision Making – 5th
Aman Agrawal – Career Development Project – 2nd
Kabir Apradh – Business Law Team Decision Making – 5th
Nolan Beduhn – Restaurant and Food Service Management – 2nd
Holly Benveniste – Apparel and Accessories Marketing – 1st
Elise Berndt – Sports and Entertainment Team Decision Making – 5th
Rahul Billakanti – Sports and Entertainment Marketing – 1st
Oliver Brown – Principles of Business Management and Administration – 2nd
Owen Burkstrand – Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making – 4th
Olivia Chiu – International Business Plan – 4th
Louis Dang – School Business Enterprise Retail International Qualifier
Vishay Desai – International Business Plan – 3rd
Vishwa Esakimuthu – Business Growth Plan – 1st
Elizabeth Fackert – Principles of Entrepreneurship – 2nd
Jasper Fang – Business Finance Series – 2nd
Jasper Fang – Independent Business Plan – 2nd
William Feng – Business Services Marketing Series – 5th
Meghana Gadde – Independent Business Plan – 4th
Rohan Gajendhar – Business Finance Series – 1st
Pranav Gangireddy — Business Law Team Decision Making – 5th
Akshara Ginne – Community Giving Project – 2nd
Sarayu Gundla – Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making – 2nd
Arnav Gupta – Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making – 1st
Arnav Gupta – International Business Plan – 1st
Sanjana Guruprasad – Career Development Project – 2nd
Sophia Haris – International Business Plan – 4th
Ryan Joseph – Apparel and Accessories Marketing – 3rd
Bani Kahlon – International Business Plan – 4th
Bani Kahlon – Community Giving Project – 2nd
Shaurya Kakkar – Stock Market Game
Sricharan Kanajam – Automotive Services Marketing Series – 5th
Sairam Kapidi – Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making – 1st
Sairam Kapidi – International Business Plan – 2ndPranav Kousikan – Business Growth Plan – 1st
Akhil Kumerasan – Business Growth Plan – 1st
Rachel Manavalan – Apparel and Accessories Marketing – 5th
Rachel Manavalan – Professional Selling Event – 3rd
Rachel Manavalan – Community Giving Project – 2nd
Lipi Meher – Independent Business Plan – 4th
Ria Mehta – Independent Business Plan – 2nd
Karan Narang – Food Marketing – 5th
Shubham Panchal – International Business Plan – 1st
Darshiv Pandit – Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making – 4th
Darshiv Pandit – Franchise Business Plan – 4th
Jiwoo Park – Business Law Team Decision Making – 4th
Sanjitt Ram Kumar – Principles of Marketing – 3rd
Prohitt Ram Kumar – Business Services Marketing Series – 1st
Rishi Ranjith – International Business Plan – 3rd
Ameya Rauniyar – School Business Enterprise Retail International Qualifier
Sudharsan Selvakumar – Franchise Business Plan – 4th
Anjali Suresh – School Business Enterprise Retail International Qualifier
Ansh Shah – Franchise Business Plan – 4th
Darsh Shah – Stock Market Game
Abhyuday Sood – Personal Financial Literacy – 2nd
Archith Sridhar – Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making – 2nd
Archith Sridhar – International Business Plan – 1st
Vedanth Srinivasa – International Business Plan – 2nd
Colin Sullivan – Accounting Applications Series – 4th
Tvisha Talwar – Business Law Team Decision Making – 4th
Dane Thompson – Career Development Project – 2nd
Shreya Udumula – Business Finance Series – 3rd
Mithul Vivekanandan – International Business Plan – 2nd
Allison Zhang – Principles of Business Management and Administration – 4th
Vice President of Communications Joy Zhou commented on the success of the chapter: “I am so proud of Wayzata DECA. Even amidst the most competitive season yet, the dedication and efforts of our members shines through.”
Minnesota DECA is part of the larger organization consisting of over 300,000 members spanning across the globe, including all fifty states and the District of Columbia, China, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Dominican Republic, Guam, and various other countries.
For more information on helping out Wayzata DECA with sponsorships and presentation or paper feedback, please reach out to [email protected].
Wayzata DECA is a business centered club with over two hundred ninety members, establishing itself as one of the largest clubs at Wayzata. DECA is designed to help students put what they learn in school into practice while building essential skills that extend beyond their time in high school. By partnering with professionals in the community, members gain real-world business expertise and further develop those essential skills.
