Renowned for its many competitions and conferences, DECA is not only one of the most demanding extracurriculars, but also one of the most rewarding — from the socials to the competitions, members bond over shared experiences, strengthening connections and resumes.

Christine Park

Sophomore Christine Park, Director of Chapter Activities for DECA, recounts her experiences in the club last year. While she acknowledges that DECA covers a lot of content — which can be crammed in the upcoming weeks before competitions — there is another crucial component that isn’t as easy to grasp.

“Stressing yourself out over competitions [isn’t helpful], because… there’s also a skill that you build up and that kind of skill is not something you can cram in a hour,” Park said.

Park practices what she preaches. She did not pull all-nighters working on her presentation. Instead, during the few days of the conference, she spent her free time exploring downtown San Jose.

“What I love about DECA is [that I get to] walk around the city,” Park said. “Getting lost is actually one of the fun [parts], because you tend to find the most interesting places. You can go on a map and [find popular places] but that’s stuff you can see anytime. The best part is when you’re with your friends, and you’re lost… you have stories to tell.”

Yet her apparent lack of practice belies her placings in that competition, which is comprised of two components. She placed first in roleplay and third in testing, placing first overall. Park’s skills in DECA competitions have carried over into school as well.

“I can talk more confidently [now],” Park said. “It definitely helps with school presentations, in that I don’t have to practice for [them anymore]. There’s not really any stress behind [them]. If I have a presentation, I can just walk in with it and present it.”

“There’s this confidence that comes from DECA,” Park said. “Whether you’re good or not, whether you win or not, there’s just this confidence. I don’t know how else to say it.”

Gurnarain Mann

Freshman Gurnarain Mann was first drawn to DECA by the promise of free food.

“In middle school they had free pizza, so I just showed up there,” Mann said. “I heard that it would be good from some family friends…so I joined. I stayed because it’s fun. People in DECA are pretty nice. And it’s interesting.”

Mann was one of many who attended the business boot camp — more commonly known as BBC — that DECA offers over the summer for a jumpstart during the school year. He soon became immersed in the camp, which is meant to teach members how to write a business plan. Mann’s team decided to create a business renting out board games to people.

“We were looking for problems that people had,” Mann said. “You know how people have a bunch of board games at home that they don’t really use, right? So [the idea] came from there.”

Their idea won them a medal. This early success, coupled with the many friends he had made in the club, spurred Mann to actively participate in DECA during the school year as well.

“I met my business partner in the BBC camp, Phillip [Chau],” Mann said. “We became friends. I was also introduced to all the officers so now I know them too.”

Now, for Mann, instead of the free food, it’s the atmosphere of DECA that appeals to him the most.

“I like how it’s family-oriented,” Mann said. “You have so many friends, everybody’s there for you. So if you fail, you always have a shoulder to lean on, to cry [on]… [I haven’t cried yet], but I probably will. I’m not looking forward to it.”