Hello, my name is Vinay Sharma, and I am so excited to serve as one of your Arizona DECA state officers! In my free time, I love to play and watch sports, listen to music, and hang out with friends. I currently attend Pinnacle High School and plan to graduate soon to study something in the business field. DECA has helped me find my passion and given me a direction as to where I want to go after High school. My favorite DECA conference was definitely SCDC because it's so awesome seeing all of the people I've met throughout the year, and seeing all of our hard work pay off on stage. During my time as a state officer, I hope to help all of the chapters across the state prepare for their competitive events so that we all have a chance to make it to the ICDC stage. Steve Jobs once said,  “We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here”. I hope to maintain my drive and make an impact.  

My name is Eliana Alley, I’m from Maricopa Arizona, I’m sixteen, I’m hispanic, and I’m passionate about DECA. I was originally from a town called Holbrook Arizona, Holbrook was a town of 5,000 people. There weren’t a lot of opportunities, there wasn’t much to do, and you knew almost everyone in town, (or at least they knew you.) I moved to Maricopa three years ago and the first thing we had to accomplish was where I would go to school. At first I got accepted to a charter school, then I met a girl named Joy, Joy had talked all about this program called DECA. I had no clue what DECA was, however I was captivated by her passion for this program, and decided that I would enroll in a public school just for DECA. I started my DECA journey online because of COVID, I didn’t have much to enjoy, because we couldn’t do anything in person. That year I interviewed to be an officer for my chapter, and became the Vice President of Marketing my Sophomore year. I was thrilled to finally attend in person school, and even though we didn’t have the chance for District competition due to COVID, we attended State Competition. At first I wasn’t sure about DECA, I was thinking that maybe the program was just “ok,” I then arrived at state and attended DECA Game Night. There were so many incredible people that welcomed me, and they showed me that I was very welcome in this environment. I felt like I had met my people. This was my favorite DECA conference. I then witnessed the opening session the next day and knew that I wanted to show other people what DECA was really about. I am now a State Officer and I’m beyond blessed to say that. Next year I am hopeful to put in my application for Executive Office and make it to interviews. After high school I plan to focus on my business and do my best to open a storefront. I hope to expand further into Phoenix, and attend college at UNLV.

       Hi, my name is Landon Stone, a Junior at Pinnacle High School. Throughout my life, I was naturally drawn to the idea of hard work, making money, and running my own business. At a very young age, one of my favorite activities was to act out being a businessman and “run” my own company. This foundation started my love of business and entrepreneurship, and led me to where I am today. At the age of 10, my search history was filled with searches such as “how can I make money as a ten-year-old?”, and through this research I found that starting my own business was the path I wanted to take. Experiences like these as well as my religious watching of Shark Tank led me to realize what my future was going to look like. This foundation set the stepping stones for my high school experience, in which I knew DECA was going to play a major role. The focus on business and entrepreneurship immediately piqued my interest and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. This led to me practicing hard on my role-plays, attending SCDC and ICDC, and applying to become an officer my freshman and sophomore years. Throughout my time in DECA, I have worked hard to become a better competitor and have climbed the ranks from a casual member to now being a State Officer. It is an experience that I feel so blessed to be a part of and cannot wait to continue on with, making a difference in each of the AZ DECA members lives. Through DECA, I have became more prepared for my eventual goal of becoming a tech entrepreneur. Influenced by people such as Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, I know that I want to create a company that truly revolutionizes the world and makes a major impact on society. While these goals are ambitious, I know that with the right mindset anything is possible.

Hello Arizona DECA, my name is Aarav Dugar and I am beyond thrilled to be one of your nine state officers for the 2023-2024 year! I have been a part of Arizona DECA for 3 years now and am excited to take on this position as a state officer. I enjoy networking and meeting new people at all the DECA events and conferences that I attend and am excited to meet more members at these future events. Looking to the future, I am determined to continue making a difference in the world of business and entrepreneurship. I plan to pursue a degree in business or a related field, with the ultimate goal of starting my own business in the finance industry. Outside of DECA, I enjoy playing tennis, hanging out with friends, spending time with my family, and reselling shoes! As an Arizona DECA state officer, my main goals are to: help guide all members toward unleashing their potential, increase the number of chapters across Arizona, and provide constant and consistent communication to all members. I am excited to set Arizona DECA up for success and watch all members grow their skills and knowledge! 

Howdy! My name is Kate Sinclair. I'm from a little town in the far south of Arizona, approximately 15 miles from the Mexico border. I have a strong sense of enthusiasm and ambition. I love being out in the countryside! I help manage a non profit ranch. I take pride in both my accomplishments and my academic background. I was admitted to Biomedical Ethics at Harvard University. I participated in the Junior Olympics and I love to swim. I constantly try to be the best version of myself. To save countless lives, becoming a neurosurgeon is one of my greatest goals. One of my greatest passions is within DECA! It has helped me to gain the confidence to become the greatest version of myself. I'm eager to give back and serve Arizona DECA's current and incoming members as it has served me.

My name is Shreya Ganesh, and I am a senior at Basha High School! I am honored to be one of your Arizona DECA State Officers! I was born and raised in Arizona, and some hobbies of mine are reading and helping the community! My DECA journey started freshman year when I joined Marketing and became Vice President of Basha DECA. I fell in love with DECA and continued it both my sophomore and junior year as President. DECA has given me an amazing opportunity to meet incredible people as well as compete on an international level. In my future, I would like to pursue a career in bioscience as well as minor in business. My dream colleges are UCLA and University of Pennsylvania. I am so excited to meet all the Arizona DECA members at future events!

Favorite Quote: “Life is like a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

I'm Drake Anthony Maestas, and I'm a highly driven individual with a reputation for getting things done efficiently and effectively. Whether it's at school, home, or work, I always strive to give my best effort and accomplish my goals. One of my biggest passions is DECA, and I've been heavily involved with the organization for several years. I've competed in multiple events and have had great success at both the regional and state and international! I believe that I have the skills and experience necessary to serve in this important role, and I'm excited about the opportunity to help shape the future of DECA in our state.

Hello! My name is Dulce Hurtado Gonzalez and I am from Mesa High School. Joining the marketing course and the DECA organization helped me express my ideas and made me grow
into the person I am today. As an upcoming senior in high school, I can’t wait to begin this incredible journey as a state officer in DECA. Growing up, I learned it’s not about the opportunities you start with, it’s about the opportunities you create for yourself. With DECA, the opportunities you can create are endless. This is why my goal is to help our members create these opportunities and take advantage of them. As an Arizona State Officer this year, I hope to approach our members and support them, so that they feel welcomed and become the emerging leaders our DECA mission statement encourages. I am grateful for the long-lasting
friendships and connections that I was able to build over the years and for the ones to come, especially with our members. Together we can succeed, and as a family, we can dare to dream
even bigger. For me, I aim to keep moving forward and go to a university so that I can develop a career in law or entrepreneurship. 

​Hello, my name is Apramey Akkiraju from Mountain Ridge High School. A few things about me are that I LOVE all things sports, music, and movies! Anytime I have free time, and I am not mindlessly scrolling through TikTok, you'll catch me doing one of those things, or you might catch me doing some DECA project or the other. My DECA journey actually began in seventh grade when my brother introduced me to this fantastic organization. Since joining in freshman year, I did my best to stay involved, competing at Internationals, serving as a chapter officer and even President, and finally being a State Officer! It has truly been a "real-life movie." As great as the journey has been, I look forward to this year being the best one yet, as serving and representing Arizona DECA is a dream come true! Once my DECA journey is over, though, I want to go to college and one day be a tech entrepreneur!