Greenwood students qualify for DECA Internationals

Greenwood is no stranger to DECA, the international organization that helps prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges through its case competitions and other programming. Greenwood’s DECA Committee has been a popular co-curricular at Greenwood for many years.

This year, though, a pair of Greenwood students unlocked a new DECA achievement – Yoni Jungreis and Sam Johnston (both ‘25) qualified for the international competition at the recent provincials competition. It’s the first time that Greenwood students have received this honour. The pair had qualified for the provincials in November at the Toronto regionals event. 

“We are so excited for Yoni and Sam,” said Ryan Vachon, Director, Academics & Pluralism, and Greenwood’s DECA committee staff adviser. “Their success first at regionals, and now at the provincial level is a testament to their own hard work and the strength of Greenwood’s DECA committee.”

Life @ Greenwood caught up with Yoni and Sam to hear more about their DECA experience.

Competing in DECA was a fantastic experience; we showed up in our suits downtown at the Sheraton Hotel, ready to go. Connecting with other students from all over Ontario, we felt right at home. When waiting in line for our event to start, we felt some exciting nerves as we waited for our call time. Once called, we entered a private room with other contestants and were given a case. With only a piece of paper and a pencil, we immediately got to work, and before we knew it, the 30 minutes were over. We were then ushered to our judging room, where we presented our solution to the case to a judge. After answering her follow-up questions, we left the hotel feeling extremely confident in our presentation. 

We focused on preparing our minds rather than content. Since DECA is all about randomized cases and on-the-spot thinking, we knew studying hours of material would be irrelevant. Instead, we focused on maximizing our speaking, quick thinking, and improvisation, all of which contributed to our success. Walking into the judges' room, we felt confident and well prepared to answer any questions that came our way. 

It was awesome. Hearing our names called by the speakers, we immediately felt a wave of relief, which was quickly followed by an uncontrollable excitement. The thrill of walking on stage was one of the most memorable moments we've had academically. While we told ourselves we would act calm, we couldn't keep the smiles off our faces. This wasn't just a personal achievement but rather a Greenwood first, and being able to represent our school at DECA Internationals is an opportunity we won't take for granted. 

Just be yourself. We truly believe that one of the most important parts of DECA is staying true to you and your personality. The judges see hundreds of contestants a day, and standing out is more than having a good presentation. It’s about showing them who you are. Speaking with confidence and conviction can make all the difference between being another stack in the pile or the one to beat.

Up next is internationals, where we get to compete on the biggest stage against the best in the world. The event takes place in Orlando, Florida in April and we couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity. 

Please join us in congratulating Sam and Yoni and wishing them all the best at Internationals! 

Join us also in congratulating all the Greenwood students who qualified for provincials at the regionals event:

Coco Aylward '26
Victoria Biancaniello '26
Max Chapnik '26
Jameson Dubois '26
Steph Georgopoulos '26
Lotus Lampert '28	Gr. 9 - Leadership Development Academy*
Eli Mandell '26
Rose Weston '28	Gr. 9 - Leadership Development Academy*