Shoreline Community College student wins national DECA contest with t-shirt design

Jason Hwang's winning t-shirt design

Shoreline Community College student, Shorewood graduate, and DECA member Jason Hwang learned recently that he is the winner of the Second Annual Collegiate DECA ICDC (International Career DECA Conference) T-shirt Design Contest.

The freshman at Shoreline is excited about his win, but is very low key about it. Hwang said he wasn’t asked by his instructor or DECA advisor David Starr to participate in the t-shirt design contest. “I just did it,” he said, not really thinking about the possibility of winning a national contest.

This wasn’t his first go at a t-shirt competition. When Hwang was a DECA member at Shorewood High School he submitted designs for the high school t-shirt design contests. “I used to design a lot of t-shirts and sweatshirts for our chapter (Shorewood),” he said. Hwang said he was frustrated that the DECA t-shirts his high school team wore were not very attractive so he entered the competition as a college student.

The winning T-shirt is simple in design Hwang says. It’s red, cursive lettering with a white outline on a dark t-shirt. Hwang’s design will be printed on t-shirts and other marketing items to be sold at the national conference in Salt Lake City April 28-May 1, 2012.

Hwang put his skills to work last year designing a t-shirt with SCC Prime Minister Luke Tchao to support Japan relief efforts. They found sponsors and raised over $30,000 with their help. 

"After being successful with this, it made it a lot easier for me to enter competitions or just design for fun," Hwang said.

Hwang won a $250 honorarium and 12 t-shirts, which he plans on sharing with Shoreline’s DECA team members.

The DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) is the highlight of the DECA year. Thousands of students, advisors, businesspersons and alumni gather for several days. Participants compete in one of several competitive events. The top competitors in each event are recognized for their outstanding achievements. In addition to the competitive events, many students and advisors participate in a variety of leadership and career advancing academies.

DECA (known as Delta Epsilon Chi 60 years ago) prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.

Updated 02-18-2012 9:38pm