The 2026 TJ DECA Chapter making waves at the first competition of the season. photo by Erin Thompson
The 2026 season kicked off the season with its first competition.
As of November 19th, 2025, the DECA season has officially started. However, it is no ordinary year as the District 3 representative is Thomas Jefferson High School’s one and only Ella Storey, a TJ junior. Additionally, this year sets the record for the largest number of competing students since COVID-19 years, totaling 98 students competing in more than 40 role-play Events.
Colorado is split into 13 districts, and TJ is part of District 3, the biggest district in the entire state. Competing alongside the school are ten other high schools: East High School, South High School, George Washington High School, Grandview, Northeast Early College, Overland High School, Pickens Technical College, Vista Peak Preparatory, and North High School. Every student competing hopes to make it to the state competition, where they will represent their school against more than 3,500 competitors to see who will “Go The Extra” and make it to the ICDC (International Career Development Conference) in Atlanta, Georgia, in April. Districts were held at Arapahoe Country Fair Grounds on November 19th 2025, with over 800 competing students. DECA offers a number of events for students to compete in in order to prove their competency within the business world, from events ranging from Quick Serve Restaurant Management to Hospitality and Tourism to Marketing Communications Series. All events are in one of five clusters: Marketing, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism, Entrepreneurship, and Business Management and Administration. Each student’s score is composed of two elements: their role-play and a 100 question test in the cluster of their event.
TJ had 28 state qualifiers this year in 15 different role-play events. Below is the list of the competitors who made it as well as their event: Apparel & Accessories Marketing: juniors Ari Winn and Sloane Straayer. Entrepreneurship Marketing: junior Lilah Sanni. Food Marketing: junior Lia Rivera. Hospitality & Tourism Professional Sales: junior Meriem Sadkhi. Hotel & Lodging Management: juniors Ava Zareck and Harrison Hauer (junior), and senior Zach Alleman. Human Resources Management: junior Katie Mullins. Marketing Communications Series: senior Sarah Yellen, and junior Emelia Talburt. Personal Financial Literacy: senior Deen Azari. Principles of Entrepreneurship: freshmen Johnny Semple-Guerrero and Nadhyia Owens, and sophomore Lizzy Johnson. Principles of Finance: freshman Saull Brittan. Principles of Marketing: freshmen Olivia Srodulski and Izzy Roth. Professional Selling: senior Tucker Blue. Quick Serve Restaurant Management: seniors Jonah Smith and SophieAnn Scott. Restaurant & Food Service Management: freshman Sophie Hockett, and junior Stella O’Malley. Retail Merchandising: junior Isabella Srodulski. Sports & Entertainment Marketing: junior Ella Storey , and seniors Kai Rogers, Kota Hoskins, and Olivia Osterhaus-Binker.
TJ also had two successful State Officer Candidates: Storey and Hazel Baur. It is also important to mention the school adult chaperones—Andrew Skari, Erin Thompson, Jeremy Anderson, Rossanda Jackson, Graham Baughn, Samanda Davis, and Natalie Koncz—who helped everything run smoothly.
This year’s District 3 competition marked an exciting start to the 2026 DECA season for TJ. With nearly 100 competitors, an impressive 28 state qualifiers across a wide range of events, and two standout State Officer Candidates, TJ students demonstrated remarkable dedication, skill, and leadership. As the team advances to the State Conference, they continue to represent TJ with pride, grit, and determination. With the momentum built at districts and the support of their advisors and chaperones, TJ DECA is well-positioned to make an unforgettable impact at state and beyond.
