Several Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) students placed among the top at the recent Collegiate DECA Northeast Regionals. Collegiate DECA is a national educational organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in colleges around the globe.

The DECA Northeast Regionals, held earlier this month at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, allows students to put their classroom experience and knowledge to the test in real-world scenarios.

Students must take a comprehensive exam in their chosen business field prior to the day-of competitions and then participate in either a role-play business simulation or a case study and present the finding to a panel of business and industry professionals.

The competition included 10 different schools from New England participating, with nearly 100 total competitors.

Among the CCRI students who competed at the Northeast Regionals:

Denisses Cortorreal, of Cranston, took first place in Marketing Exam; Juanita Meunier, of Chepachet, took first in Business Management Exam; Brilynn Rakes, of East Providence, earned second place in Financial Accounting Exam; and Tylar Bowie-Edge, of Providence, earned third place in the Sales Manager role-play category.

Others who competed as part of the CCRI team were Enma Velasquez of Pawtucket, Jesse Splaine of Barrington and Maaz Hussain of Pawtucket.

Faculty adviser Joanne Orabone of Cranston cheered on her team throughout the competition. “It has been an honor to work with such an outstanding group of students who have successfully represented CCRI’s commitment to excellence in this highly competitive competition.”

First place recipient Brilynn Rakes commented, “DECA allows me to apply what I am learning in my classes to real-world business scenarios. For example, at the Northeast Regionals, I was asked to solve an accounting problem for a fictitious company and then to present my findings to judges. Although I was nervous, I really enjoyed the competition. It was exciting and equally as rewarding because it gave me meaningful insights into what it is like to be an accountant in the business world.”

The first place winners in Rhode Island have earned the opportunity to go Orlando, Fla. to compete in the DECA International Career Development Conference in April 2019. More than $500,000 in scholarships will be awarded at this conference to the top-placing students.