In an international competition drawing students from around the world, juniors Varsha Ravi and Sahya Lagisetty will be showcasing their business skills. The two, members of a club established just this year, will compete in Orlando, Fla. at the end of April.
Ravi started the DECA club at the start of this school year, intending to develop her business skills. DECA is an international nonprofit organization geared towards preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.
“DECA for me is like a platform to grow my own interests such as business and there are a lot of different fields that you can explore in DECA such as like finance, marketing, hospitality, restaurant management, sports analytics,” Ravi said, “There are so many different facets of business that you get to see.”
For Lagisetty, who joined DECA to explore marketing, the club’s structure allowed her to turn classroom knowledge into real-world practice.
“I really just wanted to learn more about marketing and learn more about how I could become more involved in that field,” Lagisetty said. “DECA expanded my knowledge on the whole business, marketing, finance thing.”
Though competing in DECA may seem daunting, plenty of resources and guides are available to students interested in competing and expanding their business profile. While the club provides various opportunities, its competitive nature demands a strong commitment to utilizing those resources in contests.
“They have tons of flash cards, knowledge points, key points, and practice exams and tests and everything for their students that participate so it makes it really easy to get all the practice you need beforehand,” Ravi said.
In addition to the plethora of resources, Rena Bowden, sponsor of the DECA club, advises DECA members and helps them with any questions they may have. The combination of resources and assistance from advisors allows students to perform well at competitions while also setting time aside to bond as a team.
“It was a little bit stressful, because this was HP’s first time competing,” junior Sahya Lagisetty said “And so we weren’t as experienced, but it was still really fun getting to spend time with everyone, and I think Mrs. Bowden, the head of DECA, really helped us around with that.”
The club competes at various local and state competitions as well, providing copious contest experience for even new competitors.
“So not only do we compete locally, we compete in the state, we compete against everybody in the nation,” Bowden said, “So it gives you a big platform.”
DECA’s doors are open to all students, regardless of their course schedule. This inclusive approach reflects that business skills are valuable for every student’s future, whether they plan to pursue business professionally or not.
“Prospective DECA members don’t have to be in a business course,” Bowden said. “They just have to want to learn the business topics. And the topics are based on classes that they would take at the high school level.”
Though students are guided throughout the process, DECA competitors face fierce competition at contests which adds on to their stressful business events.
“Because you’re speaking directly to a judge, just being a good public speaker is another issue,” Ravi said.
As the competitors prepare to represent the school on the international stage, their achievements demonstrate a hopeful future beyond individual accolades. Their success story has ignited interest among underclassmen, ensuring the club’s legacy will endure long after they graduate.
“I think it really just showed me that I enjoy the field of marketing and business, and it had me realize that that’s what I want to go into in the future,” Lagisetty said.
