Come October of my freshman year on a random Wednesday of the month, I previewed the plethora of clubs and activities that North High has to offer. A continuous cycle of extracurricular that somewhat overwhelmed me—I didn’t want to be overly involved and unable to make a true commitment; however, I knew clubs were important to me. In the ongoing monologue of the benefits of joining various clubs, I heard about DECA from a small but ever-so-powerful woman I would soon work closely with for the two years that followed.
My freshman year was a haze of practice role plays with officers who intimidated me, yet pushed me beyond my comfort zone. I would form relationships with the club officers, as well as the advisors, Mr. Marchese and Mr. Rodriguez, and develop business knowledge and speaking skills that could take me far in all aspects of life. I learned that the key to success was knowledge, and being confident that your knowledge could take you farther than you imagined.
When it came time for my first regional competition, I went in with a prepared mindset, but any idea of success was out of the question for me. Little did I know that three years later, I would come to place in the top ten overall all three years, and ultimately win first place my junior year.
However, The joy of success at DECA goes beyond the glass trophy you get to take home, it’s a symbol that your hard work and passion can take you farther than you may have ever expected. If I could give any advice to aspiring DECA winners, it would be the following: knowledge is power, and confidence is key. While cliché, I have found that the success in the role play sector of DECA stems from these two principles, and especially what you do with them.
- Knowledge is Power
Anytime you step into a new experience in life, there are going to be concepts and terms that you are not familiar with, and for that, you have to learn. Joining DECA is a learning experience, especially if you are not familiar with the business world. Paying attention in meetings and looking up information for your event is crucial in taking your role play to the next level. Quizlet is a great way to organize the terms you need to know and refresh your memory prior to competition.
- Confidence is Key
During my time as an officer, I found that many members have business knowledge but are not able to maximize their momentum, due to their confidence levels. However, there is no secret recipe to success. For some it is an innate ability; however, for others, like myself, it must be built. For myself, and the members I work with, I found that practice is the key to confidence. I recommend scheduling practice role plays to truly grasp the basis of a role play and continuing to work one-on-one with officers to further understand how to take your performance to the next level.
