With the DECA competition season starting soon, it’s important to take a look at everything there is to DECA and what you can do to prepare for the competition. DECA is a student-led business organization with the goal of fostering students’ confidence and leadership skills.
There are many things that DECA does- including competitions, volunteering, and Mr. LHS. The main, and most popular, aspect is the competition. One DECA officer, Kylie Hensley- VP of communications, said that the competitions are her favorite part of DECA.
There are three levels of competition: district, state, and international. The international competition is in various big cities, with it being in Atlanta this year! The competitions get larger and more difficult as they advance. Competitions contain two parts: a roleplay and an exam. The roleplay is a business related scenario, in which members have 10-30 minutes to prepare and 10-30 minutes to present.
With competitions, it is essential to prepare as much as possible. DECA advisor Mr. Joris says that the best ways to prepare are “studying content, working with advisors, and doing practice roleplays.” Working with advisors is by far the most important piece of advice, as Mr. Joris and Mrs. Brooks can offer one-on-one advice with anything you need help with.
Mr Joris’s advice for DECA is to figure out what your goal is– whether it’s making it to International or State, or even just making it to the first competition– and stay motivated to it.
DECA is very rewarding if you put time and effort into it, but you’ll get nothing out of it if you just sit back.
