Most people have at least heard of DECA before. Maybe it was over the announcements, congratulating the team on a recent win. Or they saw DECA’s poster board at the club fair. Perhaps it first came up when asking a friend why they were wearing full business attire to school. However it may have come up, the idea of DECA is planted in the back of the minds of the majority of FHS students. But very little of the student population knows more than the acronym. And what does that DECA even stand for? What happens at their competitions? What does DECA really do and why should you join?         DECA board at the club fair

DECA stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America. It is a non-profit student organization that hosts competitions in a wide array of topics across the country at district, state, and national levels. The competitions entail mock business proposals from students to real professionals, who are acting as judges. The goal is to build leadership and business skills in chapter members. 

We now know the acronym and a bit of the club's mission but that does not offer up much more of an explanation for the club's actual purpose. Mr. Healy, one of the teacher advisors for the FHS DECA chapter, explains it a bit clearer. He says, “DECA is a career and technical student organization (CTSO) that prepares high school and college students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.” So the club covers many different aspects of businesses and prepares students who want a career in that topic.  Participating in this club builds the necessary skills to be successful. Mr Healy mentions some of those skills to be, “business administration, entrepreneurship, and professional leadership”. 

The DECA organization is a very helpful tool to prepare young adults for the business world. It gives them an advantage by providing them a space to practice developing and pitching business proposals. Students are able to learn how to give pitches in different ways, and about a multitude of different topics. Chapter member Joyce Jamean explains how there are written events where students are given a topic in advance and make a project to present at competitions along with role-playing events which have students getting a topic to pitch, getting 10 minutes to prepare, and then presenting to a judge. The different events explore different areas of business and build different skills. The on-the-spot improvisation teaches students how to think on the fly and perform under pressure. Meanwhile, the presentations help students build public speaking skills. Joyce also brings up the different topics which the competitions are balanced around, “the written and the role plays all are based on different topics in business,” Joyce details, “I believe there are four core sections, one of them is hospitality and management; the other is marketing; a finance one; and a business, law, and ethics one.” DECA covers a wide range of topics in all corners of the business world. As an organization, it builds skills that are important to be successful in a business career in its members.

DECA competitions, as stated above, are broken down into written and the role-playing activities . Winners are decided by actual business professionals as Chapter member Harsini Vijai Krishna Prakash explains, “Students get a chance to compete in events and interact with real life judges that have business experience”. Meaning students are able to meet actual successful people in this field and have their work held to an industry standard. Mr. Healy elaborates on the judging, stating, “Students compete on a combination of exam scores, presentation scores, and written project scores, depending on their event category. Competitors meet with judges to present their work or proposals in a setting that is similar to a professional meeting.” Through DECA, participants are able to get a look into the business world and see what it is all about. Joyce, who participates in the role play events for Marketing, explains what she does in her events. She describes, “you get your prompt, get either 10 or 30 minutes to prep depending on if you’re a series or a principal [two roles in the role-playing events]. I get 10 minutes to prepare and then 10 minutes to present.” Competitors are expected to be able to think on the fly and apply their business skills to their prompt. Competitions have the same basics but as a team moves up from district to states, and from states to nationals, they will  receive more difficult prompts. The competitions are a good way for business interested students to get a feel of the industry and to interact with those already involved in the industry.  

Maybe all this sounds interesting. If so, then you should look into joining the club. There are many good reasons to. Harsini, while sharing her reasoning, states, “I joined DECA because I was interested in pursuing a career in business and thought this could be valuable exposure to the topics.” DECA is a very good way to get a taste of the business world. If business is an interest of your’s, then DECA is a great way to get some experience. Harsini also mentions some of the social aspects of the group, “At the district level you get to meet kids from close towns and bond over DECA and business. And at the state and international level you get to travel all over the country; this year it’s held in Georgia. And at the competitions there are workshops with professionals and - again - you get to meet so many cool people and even trade pins which is super fun.” Going out for competitions is an amazing pathway into meeting people with similar interests. Not only is DECA a good choice if you’re interested in business, but also if you want to make new friends. Mr Healy became interested in DECA advisor early in his career as a High School business teacher and became a club advisor. He says, “DECA enables students to practice many skills they will need in the workforce and to apply knowledge they are learning in their business classes. This is an awesome competitive program that helps students to grow their confidence and practice professionalism.” DECA is a fantastic way to advance practical skills that you will need in your professional career. It’s a good way to apply knowledge, especially if you’re already in his classes. He also mentioned the overall, not specifically business, academic elements, “While there is a focus on business content, DECA offers students valuable growth opportunities that are important for any career. I would recommend DECA to any student as a way to improve their communication skills, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities.” 

This is a club that is very academic and is beneficial in that way. It’s an opportunity for growth in a whole host of skills. Definitely reach out and get involved if this sounds like something you would enjoy. 

In conclusion, DECA isn’t as intimidating and mysterious as it may seem. It’s just a community where business minded individuals can get together and hone their skills. They’re able to compete across the state and even country, meeting new people along the way.