What should I do? The question arose as I started sophomore year and realized that I wasn’t in any clubs. I was so occupied by football that I had not gotten involved in anything else at Creekview. I tried to find an organization that would be fun and educational. That’s when I discovered the magic of DECA! As a sophomore in high school, I decided to join DECA. DECA is an international organization that supports the development of marketing and management skills in many career areas. In DECA, students compete in their specific topic at different levels. With the advice of my advisor, I decided to compete in the field of Business Services Marketing. I felt that this was a good choice since I already had some knowledge in this area from my father.
The first level of competition was at the regional level. It was a 2-day event held in Dallas, Texas. On the first day, I took a 100-question test on Business Services Marketing. On the second day, I had to do a role-play in which I was presented with a scenario about my event. I had 10 minutes to plan a solution to the problem and then I had to present my idea to two judges who were actual business professionals. I was quite nervous, but I was able to pull through. Later that night, at the award ceremony, I found out that I had advanced to compete at the state conference in Galveston, Texas. I was very excited because this was a great achievement for me.

I had less than a month to get ready for State. My advisor gave me practice tests and role plays so that I could get ready for state. I also read the marketing textbook my advisor had to learn more about marketing. My advisor was always there to help me with anything I needed and she told me that she had great faith that I would do well. I studied a lot so that I wouldn't have to break her faith. Additionally, I was representing my school and my region at Galveston.
Competition at state was tougher than I expected. There were about 3,000 kids from around Texas competing in their categories. Like the regional conference, I had to take a 100-question test about my topic. This test was much more difficult than the test I had taken before. Then I had to do 2 role plays, instead of only 1 at the regional level. After completing these challenging tasks, my score was calculated and compared to the other students competing in my event. Astonishingly, I had made it past the state level and was going on to compete at the international level. When my name was announced, I felt like President Obama when he was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. I couldn’t believe it when my name was called and I received my glass trophy. I was going to compete in Disneyland against some of the best marketing students in the world! I also made history by becoming the youngest student in the 11 year history Creekview to go on to compete at the International Career Development Conference.
The International Career Development Conference in Disneyland was a great experience. It was one of my greatest achievements and I felt very proud that I had gotten so far. It took even more work to get myself ready for Internationals. At Disneyland, I had a blast, but it was hard work getting there and the competition was extremely tough.
Joining DECA became a critical stepping stone in my life. Not only did I gain valuable skills that will help me in my career, I also built life-long friendships and memories. I never imagined that I would advance to such a high level in such a short period of time. I never thought that joining a club could be so influential, but DECA has done the unexpected.