Herndon's Emerging Leaders Prepare Themselves for the World of Business
By Grace Kennedy & Maryam Mohamoud, Staff Writers
Are you a marketing student looking to better your skills in the business world? The DECA club might be perfect for you! DECA prepares students for real world business related issues for future careers.
As stated on their website, their mission statement is as follows: “DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.”
This year Mr. Spencer, who teaches Marketing 1, Sports Marketing, and Sports Management, as well as Mrs. Ricks, another Herndon marketing teacher, will be leading the club. Co-presidents senior Lexi Ruffin and senior Ana Escamilla will also be in charge of the club meetings this year.
DECA is a well known club recognized by schools around the world. It also has the benefit of looking great on resumes and college applications. Mr. Spencer adds, “It teaches students about leadership, gives them opportunities to learn about business, about finance, and how to succeed in the real world.”
DECA meetings are usually once a month, although there may be more meetings around competition time. Mr. Spencer acknowledges other responsibilities and activities students have after school, and makes sure to “respect their time.” Generally, at after-school meetings, they will discuss upcoming competitions and field trips, and prepare students by participating in practice competitions. And not to mention, club meetings always finish with fun activities and snacks!
There are a number of different competition categories that students can join based on their interests. There’s sports entertainment, fashion, automotive, and social media categories. During competitions, students choose a category and must find a solution to the judges’ category-related problem. There are also team events in the same business categories, where a student can put together a business plan and present their “new business” to the judges. There's also a rigorous, multiple-choice, 100-question exam based on National Curriculum Standards. They are designed to assess members' knowledge in defined instructional areas.
There are competitions at the district, state, national, and international levels. The district competition is typically a day, where ten to twenty DECA members from Herndon meet with other schools at the Dulles Expo center to compete. The state competition, taking place in Virginia Beach, is normally held over the course of a weekend. The yearly international conference lasts a week, featuring the best-performing DECA members from all over the world. Senior Lexi Ruffin was Herndon’s most recent student to qualify for Internationals, two years ago.
The club encourages community-building between members, planning fun outings outside of school. The club has traveled to the Under Armour headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, as well as sports events such as Capitals, Nationals, and Wizards games. Every year the club also visits TopGolf, where they learn about TopGolf’s marketing strategies from a keynote speaker, followed by a game of golf and a banquet of food!
Additionally, there are ‘DECA dues,’ a $30 fee to join. This fee covers the national DECA fee, snacks, travel, and a t-shirt! Mr. Spencer adds, “We never want money to be the reason why a student can’t participate, so I have encouraged students, privately, [that] if they can’t afford it or need some financial help, to come see me and we will find some scholarship money for them.” They want every marketing student to join DECA! Although students who are not in a marketing class may not participate in competitions, they may still join the club!