DECA earns recommendation at Nationals

DECA, an international association of high schoolers, college students and teachers within the field of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in fields such as business, finance, hospitality, marketing sales, and service are giving CFHS students opportunities to learn and compete against other like minded students.

Juniors Jonas Walther and Emily Hayes and their adviser Mark Aalderks went to Nationals in Atlanta this week to compete in a buying and merchandising team decision making event.

While not originally making Nationals to begin with, after schedule fluctuations within other teams slated to compete in Nationals, the CFHS team was bumped up and was able to go in place of other teams.

“So, we originally got first in the role play at State, and fourth overall, so we didn’t get the opportunity to go to Nationals yet, but probably about two hours after we got home, Mr. A emailed us saying that two of the teams turned down their invitation meaning that we were in. It was very exciting for us, especially because this is our first year in DECA. It has been so incredible to be around people that enjoy the business world just as much as you. A lot of classes that we are required to take in high school aren’t geared toward business, so we don’t ever have exposure to it until our freshman, maybe even sophomore year of high school. It is nice to have a group of people together that are just as passionate about business as you are. Joining DECA has honestly been one of the best decisions I have made. It’s fun to meet new people and try a new things that aren’t normally offered,” Hayes said.

The event starts with a 100-point Scantron test and goes right into roleplay after that. Judges in the event give a situation that corresponds with the event students are there to compete in. After being given the topic, students get 10 to 20 minutes to prepare and converse with their partner on how to solve the situation in the best way.

After finding out what their plan of attack is, students take on a role as a vice president or president of a department within a company and project their idea to their judges or CEOs. After giving their opinion and solution to the problem, the students are later given a score that reflects how well they know the topic, how they presented themselves and how well they act around authorities.

Walther said, “I really like DECA because it introduces us to the professional world in terms of presenting yourself and making sure you sound believable and knowledgeable in everything you’re talking about. I don’t think we will make it to the finals, but it will still be cool to go and meet people that are really interested in business just like we are. I think pretty much anyone should join DECA because it is more than just business but learning how to be professional.”

According to DECA’s online site, by participating in DECA activities, 92 percent of their members say they learned how to communicate thoughts and ideas, how to organize a presentation and more about what businesses expect from employees, while gaining problem solving skills. More than 90 percent of DECA members say their experience empowered them to be an effective leader and connected school to the real world. Nearly 80 percent of DECA members say DECA helped them recognize the benefit of community service as well.

Hayes said, “I really don’t know what to expect at Nationals as this is our first time. I am super excited because there are about 18,000 students who attend this conference. I am outgoing, so I think I am going to meet some really cool people, which I am totally excited for. I am excited for the newness of it all and excited to see how DECA helps shape my future in business.”

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.