When it comes to preparing students for their future careers, Distributive Education Clubs of America is an organization that offers students and teachers leadership and business opportunities to shape their future through competitions, workshops, and meetings.
Ms. Brandi King has worked with DECA for over six years and is passionate about supporting students in their journey. King’s commitment to helping students learn and succeed comes from the impact it could have on their lives.
“I partner my students with students from other countries. It has allowed me to work with other different teachers, allowing me to meet new people and be better when I teach,” King said. “It’s more hands-on working with the students making sure that we stay on track to complete that project before it’s due.”
By participating in DECA, students like Badri Nagarajan (11), who is in his first year, have the chance to explore and learn about different fields of marketing and specialize in their interests. For Nagarajan, this meant filling in the position for student vice president of finance.
“Being a financial officer in DECA has improved the opportunities that I have internationally and that means that I can go to a lot of competitions and network with a lot of people, gain more knowledge, and also learn a lot more about the field that I want to go into,” Nagarajan said.
One of DECA’s most well-known activities is the Judge Role-Play Exam. The students are given a scenario with 15 minutes to read and annotate it. Then they go into a big conference room and propose solutions with a judge based on the scenario they were given. They get a score from their performance and the top six students go to the international competition.
“When you go to these different workshops and tools, not only do the kids have things to do, but they have sessions that we go to get exposed to [about marketing],” King said. “These opportunities provide students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to excel in their chosen fields.”
DECA Direct highlights Lindsay Joyner, who was involved with the organization during her time in high school and college . She loved all the opportunities to compete, attend conferences, make new friends. She served as the Collegiate Vice President for Deca in 2019. Throughout her years at the organization, she excelled in the events, and earned the International Champion. Nowadays, she utilizes her DECA experiences in interviews, presentations and more.
But DECA is more than competitions and studying. It involves fun activities to connect students with each other and King who threw a Halloween party on Oct. 26. Instead of studying and working on projects, the students got a chance to relax with a Goonies movie night and see a different side to their classmates.
Beyond the classroom, eight students will travel to Austin, Texas for the DECA Power Trip Conference on Nov, 17. “It’s a lot of interaction. There’s a full day where they get to choose from six different workshops that they can attend,” King said.” It can relate to something that they want to do in the future, career-wise, and it can also help prepare them for international competition. It’s a good experience for the students and the advisors to meet new people that are in DECA all across the world.”
DECA is more than an educational club or class; it’s an enriching experience that offers a well-rounded high school journey. With activities like movie nights and field trips in and outside of room 7-108, students have had a chance to connect, learn, and make the most of their high school years.
