DECA is a very popular club at West for those interested in going into the business or entrepreneurship fields. It is a national non-profit organization that – in the high school setting – “prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management,” according to the official DECA website.
At West, our DECA sponsor is Ms. Howard, but the DECA chapter is led by Addie Nichols – a senior and president of our chapter. Addie has been a part of DECA all four years of high school and plans to study food science after graduation. Nichols is very involved and dedicates a lot of her time to making this club run well and be successful, she says that she enjoys it so much “because you meet new people, get to travel, and it is applying our learning in real world situations”. She also recently became District Vice President for district 7, which is a very big accomplishment. Her leadership skills and care for those in
the club and community is very evident through everything she has done.
Typically, DECA meets in Ms. Howard’s room. You can expect to discuss the competitions and receive updates about what everyone is doing, as well as have one on one meetings with Ms. Howard. The end goal is always to qualify and prepare for the state competition. Throughout the year, members participate in community DECA meetings and informational conferences, along with different competitions where they present their projects and ideas that they have created. DECA member Matt Box has high praise for this organization. Box shared that he joined “because a couple of my friends were in it…and I just became really interested in it”. His favorite memory is both times that he had the chance to go to state – “it was just a really good time,” Box said. Box wants to encourage new members to not “be afraid to get involved, strive for your best, and get to know new people.”
Nick Buehler is also an avid member of DECA and has really enjoyed being involved. As an underclassmen he joined DECA to “increase [his] networking in the business world”. Many people may not know that DECA gets the opportunity to take their members on many field trips and most students – including Buehler – say that this is one of the best parts of this club. “The state trip my sophomore year, in the spring, was the most fun…we went to Kansas City,” Buehler said. He also wanted to share some of the achievements he has had through DECA in the past few years. Buehler said “I got first place in districts, and top ten at state in my category – Buying and Merchandising – with Andrew Voelkl on my team”. These students worked so hard for their well-earned awards and many others are looking forward to a second chance to do the same this year.
If you have any questions or interest in taking a part in DECA, contact any of these leaders or Ms. Howard. The opportunities that they offer should not be passed up, especially if you aspire to continue your education and interest in things like marketing.
