Buses load into the old Harrah’s Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. Streaks of yellow reflecting on shimmering glass skyscrapers and weaving between the city traffic. Students wander out, necks craned up towards the towering buildings, dreaming of success at the state competition to take place.
Distributive Education Club of America (DECA) is an organization that aims to prepare students academically and professionally, helping them gain experience in their community and in leadership positions. DECA has a 70-year history, with its high school division boasting over 200,000 members in over 3,500 schools. In New Jersey alone, there are over 10,000 members across 120 high schools.
At Kinnelon High School, members of DECA competed at their regional competition on Jan. 12 at Ramapo College. Five students qualified to advance to the state competition after placing in regionals: Saloni Mittal, Rebekah Kim, Haley Knox, and Katherine Fritz. They will make the trip to Atlantic City, NJ, in hopes of placing and further advancing to the national competition in Atlanta, Ga., later this year.
DECA chapter advisor, Enrique Ortega, described his time running DECA as “controlled chaos,” laughing about a fiasco with the bus scheduling last year, adding that this year went a lot smoother with more experience under his belt.
“There are a lot of different events for DECA. Most of the events that we do inside the club are going to be role plays,” Ortega explained. “They give you a sheet of paper where they have a certain scenario, say it’s like, if you were doing restaurant food service management, and they had a restaurant that wasn’t doing so hot for the past two quarters, think of ways to make the restaurant profitable.” Ortega detailed what a student could suggest or implement to help make the restaurant profitable in the roleplay, such as creating coupons, new food items, or promoting the business on social media.
Vice President of DECA and one state qualifier, Rebekah Kim, said that she studied all of what are called Performance Indicators (PIs) to prepare, “For example, the instructional area for one of my competitions was Operations, meaning I had to study all the different distribution channels, the relationship between customer service and distribution, etc.” Kim affirmed that studying and preparation for competitions are essential, but noted that as she gained more experience through her years of competing in DECA, she doesn’t have to study for long.
“Compared to other marketing events, the strategies differ because the products and audiences are different, purchasing a car is a bigger decision than buying clothes, so marketing techniques need to reflect that.” Katherine Fritz, another state qualifier, said.
She added that while the roleplay and presentation account for the majority of scoring, the written test taken before the regional competition makes up 30% of each competitor’s total score, which determines whether or not a student advances.
“I use online resources, practice tests, and roleplay scenarios to get comfortable with the format. You also need to review key vocabulary and business concepts that may come up in both the test and the roleplay,” Fritz said, describing different studying techniques than Kim, insisting that consistent practice is essential to students’ success.
Among all of the studying, a large part of performance in competitions, like states, is the mental aspect. There’s an enormous amount of pressure; qualifying for states one year doesn’t guarantee the next.
“The mental side is a big part of DECA. You need to manage nerves, think clearly under pressure, and stay confident even when you are unsure of the outcome,” said Mittal, President of DECA. “Leading DECA is very rewarding. It involves mentoring younger members, organizing events, and creating an environment where everyone feels supported and motivated to grow.”
Mittal also wanted readers to know that DECA isn’t just for students who are interested in Business, and that DECA helps build confidence, communication skills, and practical experience.
“I think we’re going to do pretty well this year,” Ortega said of his students advancing to the state competition in Atlantic City. “A lot of these kids went to nationals last year.” Ortega reiterated how impressed he was by his students and how they’ve taken the initiative to ensure their own success.
“It is a significant achievement and a chance to compete at a higher level,” Mittal said of herself and her peers, excited for the journey ahead.
