This article was originally published by Mustang Messenger, Milton District High School's student newspaper. Visit mustangmessenger.ca to read more work from Milton DHS student authors.
DECA is an international club that prepares emerging leaders in marketing, finance, hospitality and management with over 260,000 members every year! Students can compete in oral events – as a team or an individual – or written events depending on their preference. Both events consist of a 100 question multiple choice exam, while oral events require an on-site case study scenario, and written events need to submit and present a 20-page report.
Whether one is competing in an oral or written event, students will still be refining and developing valuable soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, critical-thinking, and time-management. With nearly 60 different events and 6 clusters, there’s bound to be an event for everyone – whether you like cars, clothes, law, or sports. Of course, all those events will have a bit of a business twist to it, but business is everywhere!
Our participants are looking forward to regionals coming soon in November. Students will be writing their exams between November 5-7, and regionals at Brock University will take place on the 10th. Regionals might be sooner than usual, but nothing MD can’t handle. Our school’s chapter has over 150 students. Students have been meeting on Wednesdays after school and tirelessly preparing with their executives and mentors, and we all applaud their dedication to the club. Special thanks to our mentors, executives, and most importantly our co-presidents – Vaanya Sharma and Satyam Kukreja. Speaking of our presidents, let’s hear a little more about DECA from Satyam.
Q: If you were to describe DECA in three words, what would they be?
A: Innovative, competitive, and empowering!
Q: What are your favourite things about DECA?
A: My favourite things about DECA are the case studies and communication part. I love talking to people, and I think that communication is a really good skill of mine – I feel like I’ve been really rewarded with that through awards that I’ve won in DECA such as top two in the regional competition back-to-back. I also love the competition that DECA brings to high school students; that’s definitely something I get excited about – competing against other people for an ultimate goal.
Q: What’s the most valuable thing you have gained from being a part of DECA?
A: One of the most valuable things I’ve gained from DECA is definitely my critical-thinking skills. I feel like because of DECA I can think so much more on the spot. Whenever I’m in a presentation situation or talking to people/a large group of people, DECA has helped enhance my communication skills, critical-thinking, thinking on the spot, and coming up with ideas. That’s what DECA is about. Empowering leaders,entrepreneurs, and people to develop critical thinking communication and problem solving skills. Those are some of the skills DECA has helped me with, and I hope it can help many other students down the road as well.
Q: What exciting things do you have planned for our DECA chapter this year?
A: We definitely have a lot coming up, and we hope to help our members gain more knowledge about the business world and help improve their communication and critical thinking skills. I think things that we are most looking forward to is the regional competition and provincials in February – it’s a lot of fun. It is a great time and that is definitely a big highlight in our chapter.
Well guys, you heard it from Satyam – DECA is an incredible opportunity to learn and make meaningful memories. Thanks Satyam for the interview! With regional competitions just 4 weeks away, our students are sure to study hard and practice. Best of luck to all competitors, and have fun!
