“You know what’s cooler than a million dollars? A billion dollars,” according to Sean Parker from the 2010 movie The Social Network. Building that kind of wealth starts with understanding the world of business, and for high school students, DECA, otherwise known as Distributive Education Clubs of America, offers that first step. DECA is an organization that focuses on helping emerging leaders, and entrepreneurs in business, marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools around the world through a variety of competitions in business conference settings.

Students can either choose to compete individually or with partners. Before competition, students take an exam related to their chosen event. At the competition, they compete in either a role-play or presentational event. In a role-play event, students are given a real-life business scenario with limited time to prepare their response. Then, they meet with a judge in a mock business conference setting to present their solutions.

“Roleplays can seem nerve-wrecking at first, but I love them because of their problem-solving qualities, which has really helped me strengthen my quick thinking, and coming up with solutions. It has helped me to step out of my comfort zone and has pushed me to speak up and be confrontational,” Ivannelis Rocafort-Toro (11) said. “I admire the act of presenting your event, in which you’ve practiced weeks for, and the gratification afterwards.”

In contrast, a presentational event involves a project or business idea that they have developed ahead of time, which they then formally present to a judge.

“I find myself to be more successful in presentational events because I can well prepare what I am about to say. I wasn’t very good at thinking on my feet, so they really allow me to apply business principles into my project to ensure that I am getting the points I need,” Vallika Bhatia (11), DECA President said. “They are still very fun, for example last year for our project we made a fake poster and business cards,”

DECA offers students a small taste outside of their everyday lives. The dress code is strictly business causal, and for many students it’s their first time putting on a blazer. Students advance from districts to state, normally held in Dallas or down-town Houston, and eventually nationals, this year’s being held in Orlando, Florida. Students’ cross paths with other high school students across the country, make new friends, and gain new experiences they never even expected from a high school club.

“They are dressing professionally and putting their best professional foot forward. They gain real-life experiences, practicing interviewing with adults. It’s almost a maturing experience for them. We get to travel, and they experience going to a different city and staying overnight and away from school.”  Steven Sarnowski, DECA advisor said. “I enjoy watching the students compete and move on, and also the relevant relationships that grow among them.”

When students look back on DECA, it is often remembered as one of the highlights of their high school career. A reminder that hard work is rewarded, and future goals and dreams aren’t too far-fetched or delusional when surrounded by like-minded people and an inspiring environment.

“My favorite memory, though very mundane, was getting Subway after my partner Suri, and I just finished our presentation in last year’s state conference. Suri, Tasnim, Ivannelis, Mr. Sarnowski, and I walked to the Subway, and I remember feeling very accomplished and happy with my company. When we got back to the hotel, my roommates and I sat by the window and chatted about our experiences,” Bhatia said. “This is what DECA is truly about a sense of accomplishment for oneself following an acknowledgement of your hard work.”

The DECA season at Creek ended this year with six out of 15 competitors making it to state. Vallika Bhatia (11), Suri Xu (11), and Sonia Zhuo (10) were recognized as state finalists in Integrated Marketing Campaign-Service.

“My partners and I did not expect to advance, because we were still psyched out from how badly our exam portion went. We screamed when we saw our names on screen, because it’s been more than three years since Creek has even been a state finalist. It was a lot of hard work, we put hours into making our presentation and taking in the critiques from district, which paid off. We made a fake YouTube advertisement, and a 10-page paper that had all of our research on it,” said Bhatia.

For the ambitious and competitive, DECA fosters growth and success. Join Creek’s DECA chapter at the beginning of each school year. See Mr. Sarnowski for more information in room D130.