"I joined DECA my sophomore year in hopes of learning more about business. Although I did learn quite a lot about business, DECA also taught me so much more. DECA taught me how to speak and act confidently and professionally, balance my extracurricular and academic lives, and take initiative in learning and in leading. Although joining DECA and dedicating time to preparing for competition is a huge investment, it was definitely worth it for me."

"Initially, I didn’t think DECA was the club for me. Two events changed my thinking. The first is my mock role play, which gave me the ability to see what I’d be facing and what to prepare for. The second is Taste of Bedford, which I ended up going. My job was to greet people with a smile and hand out plates. I remember panicking as the traffic of people coming in increased, but soon, I forced myself to get organized and make a plan. Tackle things logically. What are people going to reach for first? At the end of the day, when everyone had shuffled out and we were cleaning up, I felt this great sense of joy. It was over. And it went well. And I was happy to have been a part of it. That night solidified my membership in DECA and my newfound want to participate in club events and help out first year members who must have felt the anxieties that I did."

"Although I was at first skeptical of what seemed to be a complicated, overwhelming, and blindly competitive, DECA turned out to be the most rewarding of any club I participated in due to Bedford's strong leadership and continued success. Despite the vast amount of accolades and distinctions available to earn, the most memorable parts of DECA to me were the connections I made with fellow members, mentors, and advisors which have far outgrown the world of DECA itself and are still a constant presence in my life. "