Graham DECA students advance to state competition

There will be 13 Graham High School DECA students heading to Fort Worth for the DECA State contest in late February.

DECA is an international student organization that focuses on roleplay, interviews and exams in the area of marketing, hospitality, finance and management.

With 13 of 16 students making it past regionals, Cooper Gordy said there is more than just a test and roleplay.

“All of our events entail, is we do a test — a 100 question test — before the first week of February, we don’t know a set date. Then once we get to the actual competition we roleplay with an actual judge,” Gordy said. “It can be an interview, like the one we did yesterday (at regionals) was as a consultant to advise someone on what investment they do.”

Though students compete in similar events, DECA is teaching each one of them a different lesson.

“DECA is a unique opportunity for students to learn about the business world, but it’s like real life, it’s like real mock interviews,” said Aimee McShan, one of the 13 students going to state in Fort Worth. “At the state level all of our judges are actually people in the field, so you are talking to a real business professional.”

For some students DECA goes beyond the interviews and roleplays.

“DECA to me is a leadership experience. It’s just where we all come together, talk business,” Liliana Huerta said.

For Gordy it is not the most simple answer.

“My definition (of DECA) is more holistic, I guess, because it is not really by the books. To me DECA has been an eye opener, along with Ms. Walker’s business classes, because coming into high school I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” Gordy said. “But now after I have taken her classes I know that I either want to do something with finance or management, because those are the events I have competed in.”

All the students say their DECA experience has been in depth and allows them to prepare for life after high school.

“I think it really lets you feel those real world situations, like a job interview. Presenting your ideas to these higher ups, these professionals,” Kendall Zimmer said. “It is eye opening.”

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Jan. 22 edition of The Graham Leader.