DECA: Bringing Students to Business

DECA+members+from+left+to+right%3A+Brianna+Possehl%2C+Kimaya+Jones%2C+Noah+Phillips%2C+Eva+Bantelas%2C+Branden+Jones%2C+and+Kasra+Sanatkar.

Jenna Hentrich

DECA members from left to right: Brianna Possehl, Kimaya Jones, Noah Phillips, Eva Bantelas, Branden Jones, and Kasra Sanatkar.

Lissette Tenesaca

Ready to get prepared for a career in business? If so, join DECA [Distributive Education Clubs of America]. 

“DECA [Distributive Education Clubs of America] is a marketing club focused on preparing students who are interested in a career in finance, entrepreneurship, business administration, and marketing,” said Cassidy Mule’, DECA chapter advisor and marketing teacher at Tallwood High School.

DECA exposes students to new experiences in time management, problem-solving, roleplay, and competition. The club allows students to work together while encouraging each to grow to pursue future endeavors.

While DECA teaches skills needed for future careers, the club also allows students to showcase their talents in competitions ranging from district to national levels. In competitions, students are given cards with a hypothetical business problem where they must think of a solution in ten minutes. After, students present their solutions to judges as a business pitch and are scored based on how they showcase themselves and their solutions. Winning allows more and more opportunities to advance to state and national competitions and even go on trips like visiting Disneyland for a week.

“DECA has taught me how important leadership skills are and how important confidence is– so that was really good for me,” said Kasra Sanatkar, member of DECA at Tallwood.

Students in DECA can connect with other students who share the same interests. 

“I love the community around DECA how everybody kind of has the same goals and are all interested in the same sort of business field,” said Eva Bantelas, president of DECA.

DECA is available to the entire marketing program, including students involved in classes like fashion marketing, advanced fashion marketing, and marketing.

Students interested in DECA can join no later than the end of September at the start of each school year.