DECA and Marketing

As the end of first semester quickly approaches, It's time for students of Walnut Grove to begin exploring different clubs and communities around them they might want to join. This week's batter up is the school club, DECA.
by Ruby Aderhold and Brayden Downey

Distributive Education Clubs of America or DECA is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1946 and has over 227,000 members in the program. It’s headquartered in Fort Lee, Virginia. The DECA mission is to “prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.”

To be part of DECA it means “to be part of DECA means to be joined with a club that possibly matches your career pathway.” -Emily Smith (WGHS DECA Advisor). “We have once a month meetings, sometimes they’re online. Then we compete about three times a year. [The members] are tested on the foundations and principles of marketing, and then presented with a scenario that they have to problem solve and create real solutions to solve that business scenario.”

Becoming part of DECA is really quite easy, “All you have to do is show up, participate, and pay the dues, even if you can't pay the dues, we’ll find a way!”

Harmony Schwab is the Vice President of DECA here at Walnut Grove, and she thinks that to be a part of DECA means, “that you can flourish in creativity. And not just for artistic purposes, but when it comes to creative thinking. Whether it’s trying to find a new solution that you haven’t gotten to yet. Kind of like the idea of a time machine. It’s what you don’t have and the idea of how to get there.”

Harmony explains what it looks like to be in DECA. “So for meetings, sometimes we’ll do it in person. Sometimes we’ll do it online. It just depends on what's easiest for me and the other officers. For conferences and big events they’re not on campus. We’ll have a day trip…It's such a big club that there’s so many events.” She goes on to explain how you can join DECA if you’re interested in it, “To officially join DECA, I believe there’s a fee you have to pay. I would definitely talk to Coach Smith about it if you’re interested. Try to show up to meetings as often as possible. You don’t have to be in her marketing class, if you just want to test it out, you can show up.”

Overall, DECA would be a great club to join for any students with an interest in Marketing, Education, or Critical thinking. For further information if any students find DECA interesting, you can stop by Mrs. Smith's room right outside the library.

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