DECA: Business Gets Done
-Akash Desai

If you were to go around and ask the majority of the school, “What is DECA?” most of the responses would be limited to a simple “I don’t know.” If you’re lucky, you might even get a silent shrug or a nonchalant walking away, looking-at-you-like-you’re-crazy.

Some might even mention “that one Munchie Mart place”, referring to the student/teacher owned business that runs through Ms. Pong class and funds the club’s activities. This displays a common and often saddening truth - that much of the school does not really know what DECA is and what it’s all about.

DECA is what its banners always say it is: an association of marketing students. Don’t let the somewhat boring slogan turn you away though. I was a student in Ms. Pong’s Business Ownership class last year, and being an ROP class, I was not sure what to expect as those are funded separately from the school classes. Without realization or any forewarning, I was thrown in the midst of DECA. Students in the ROP classes Business Ownership and Marketing are the few people who know what DECA is, because by being included in the class, they formally join this club.

This is not a club some unknown student started years ago, however. DECA has a legacy that often is forgotten

. This club is not just nationwide, but international. Marketing students from schools around the county, state, and country and world meet at several conferences through the year to get together, talk business, and have fun. The fact is, DECA at Dublin is underrepresented compared to other schools, and it is time for that to change.

The main conferences through the year are an early fall/winter conference called Nor-Cal CDC, which consists of all the Northern Californian chapters (school DECA teams) getting together (usually at the San Ramon Marriott, conveniently close to us) and competing against each other in certain marketing categories. Some may do role-plays, where the student is given a situation and the student must develop a plan of action, and some take written tests to compete.

Aside from this, however, it is ample time to kick it with the friends. There are usually interesting places to shop and eat around the hotel in which you are staying, and every now and then paid dinners (at extremely nice restaurants) by the Dublin DECA fund. The best part is that all hotel costs are covered by the proceeds from Munchie Mart, meaning that the only cost of the trip is to register with DECA and pay the airline fee, and you are home free.

Don’t let the test and role-play talks intimidate you though. Business isn’t a field of study as much as it is a field of quick thinking. You can study all the vocabulary words in a marketing book but only get a little out of it. DECA is all about thinking business, and using your common sense and business-running skills (that you may not even know you have) to aid you.

If you are thinking about this as a career or even a hobby, this club is definitely for you. I recommend it, because I’m in it, and I know for a fact that new members will not be disappointed. Talk to Ms. Pong, currently located in E-4 (Mr. Sbranti’s old room).