North’s business competition club, Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) broke the school record for the amount of students that qualified for States after they performed successfully at their recent district competition Thursday, Dec. 15.

Out of DECA’s 105 members, 52 will be advancing to the state competition, beginning Thursday, March 9. North will be bringing double the amount of students as last year.

“It was an all time success,” said junior Jun Moon, the vice president of the club, “It really reflects how many passionate and dedicated students there are.”

According to Moon, DECA is a more hands-on opportunity for students to practice business skills, gain knowledge, and obtain real-world experience.

“Members are all very creative and genuinely passionate about something in business,” said senior Haruka Nabeshima, the president. “Everyone gets to express interest in whatever they want.”

At competitions, students face off in small teams and pitch to judges, simulating real scenarios. Topics fit into five categories, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, hospitality and tourism, and business management and administration.

“Business isn’t something you can practice on your own, which is why teamwork and collaboration are a huge part of DECA,” said Moon. “It’s exciting to get to see others use their creativity and come up with new ideas.”

Although DECA may seem like a high-commitment club, it depends on how much time members are interested in putting in, according to Nabeshima. “You really get what you put into it,” she said.

The club hopes at least half of the students participating in States are able to move forward to Nationals, which will be held Friday, April 21, according to Moon.