DECA Begins Competition Season

DECA is an international organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. To get involved with DECA you have to be a student enrolled in either Marketing 1, Marketing 2, or Marketing Research. At a DECA competition students are required to compete in a role play, which is where students get a business scenario and present it in front of a judge. Students are also required to take a test over the subject that they are competing in.

At DECA competitions students can either compete as a “single” or with a partner.

“I enjoyed competing with a partner at competitions because it’s less stressful,” senior Victoria Sabates said. “Instead of having to do all the work myself I had someone else there to help me out, give me a different opinion.”

As a first year DECA participant there are some advantages. Students are able to compete in the “Principles” categories at DECA competitions. These categories are much easier than the ones available to the second year DECA students. As a second year DECA student enrolled in Marketing Research, it is required to put together a project. These projects range from ten to thirty page papers and five to ten minute presentations.

“I’m really excited about my project because its one of those projects that you can actually make a difference with and it brings real life situations into the realm of the DECA world,” Senior Danya Issawi said.

Issawi is competing in the Public Relations project category with an Anti-Bullying campaign. Issawi has two partners for this project, seniors Morgan Twibell and Annie Kuklenski.

Marketing teacher Mercedes Rasmussen encourages all of her students to do DECA.

“I think it helps them build confidence and compete in a way they’ve never competed before, it helps them start to think about their future and what they want to do,” Rasmussen said.

The first DECA mini competition of the year is November 14th, hosted by Blue Valley West.