Why You Should Put in the Work for #DECAGlass

Around this time of year, many members in my chapter are beginning their competition preparation and they often ask the chapter officers “Why should I put in the work for DECA glass?” The generic response of many include:
-Free vacation
-Fun-experience away from school (except making up the missed work is not so much fun)
-Bolstering college resumes

However, these superficial reasons aren’t what develops winners of DECA glass, instead it's the reward reaped through perseverance and hard work. Whether you are running for office, competing in your respective event, or winning a D4DC scavenger hunt, that moment of glory on stage is unlike any other. I can say that there truly is nothing better than raising that DECA glass (or medallion depending on district awards ;) above you like Mufasa holding Simba in the Lion King as many competitors admire your success.

Last year, I advanced from the District 4 CDC to state. My upperclassmen friends had told me how difficult the road beyond state to ICDC would be, saying that “The other kids are getting almost perfect scores on their tests and role-plays and even if you are perfect, it’s still the luck of a draw”. I never had that officer to tell me that going to ICDC would be a feat someone like me could achieve. As a result, I prepared much less that I should have, taking about two practice tests and a couple roleplays. During testing, I rushed because of the seemingly nonexistent possibility of reaching ICDC even with a good test score. Given my pessimism, I went to state without pressure and with a cool aura around me. As a result, the role-plays I did at SCDC had turned out to be successful and I knew I had maximized both role-plays despite my lack of specialized preparation. My words flowed eloquently and the thoughts were conveyed cohesively as the analogies and jokes I mentioned spiced up the act for the judges. Still, I woke up on Awards Day thinking that the most I could’ve achieved was a pat on the back from my amazing advisor, Mrs. Ash, after she saw my score report. With my event being near the end of the ceremony, I remember the moment my name came upon the screen- at first, a moment of shock and non-realization but after comprehending it, a surge of excitement and happiness in my body. Running up to the stage and receiving congratulations from all the 170+ chapter members added to the emotion.

When I went to ICDC, I had some of the best times of my life and I met friends from across the globe that I’ll never forget. This time I made sure I was much more prepared for competition. Although many don’t reach ICDC, the learning opportunities through failure should be used as your motivation to keep moving forward and coming back stronger than next year.  Therefore, when people ask why they should work to earn their DECA glass, I tell them about my once in a lifetime experience of holding that glass up and how it is achievable and realistic. It’s vital we express to our competitive members that this road is not only possible for them, but that their work and preparation will directly influence and better their chances of getting the famous #DECAglass.

BY: MICHAEL NGUYEN

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How To Dress Your DECA Best

A professional appearance is an important aspect to the business world. For this reason, DECA advocates a business professional dress code when competing.

Here are the guidelines for both males and females when appearing before a judge and on stage.

Males

• DECA blazer or similar sports coat/ blazer
• Collared dress shirt
• Neck tie
• Dress slacks
• Dress shoes
• Dress socks

Females:

• DECA blazer or business suit
• Dress slacks
• Dress blouse
• Dress shoes

Unacceptable clothing:

• Swimwear
• Athletic wear
• Midriff-baring clothing
• Skin-tight or revealing clothing
• Clothing with inappropriate graphics

It is important to match your colors when dressing up. Here are some suggestions regarding colors.

With the DECA Blazer or other Navy Blazer

• Beige/Khaki slacks with brown belt (if applicable) and brown dress shoes
• Gray slacks with black belt (if applicable) and black dress shoes

With a Black Blazer

• Black slacks, preferably the same shade, with black belt (if applicable) and black dress shoes

Here are some additional tips:

• Make sure your collar looks good
• Don’t wait last minute to tie your tie
• Don’t wear excessive jewelry or accessories
• Go easy on the cologne/perfume
• Remove facial and body piercings
• Keep your hair clean and fresh
• Your belt and shoes should match
• Typically, your arms should be covered up to the wrist
• Keep makeup moderate
• Avoid ankle socks

By following all of these tips and using some common sense, you should be dressed for success!

BY OLIVER SHI

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Letter to Younger Self: A DECA Story

Dear Michael,

This is Michael from the future and I wanted to give you some thoughts as you join DECA. 

It’s going to be an incredible journey, but I want to kind of give you some tips in order for you to maybe handle the speedbumps a little better. Try to be more confident in yourself. When you compete, make sure to give it everything and leave no stone unturned. I think up until now, being bullied, all the different things that went on through school really held you back. Pull your shoulders back, have your head held high, and have confidence because you deserve to be here no matter what everyone else says. Positivity is everything. There will be low moments. And about last year, make sure everyone wakes up for the bus and to keep track of your presentation supplies.
When you have those difficult moments, I know how it feels. But this far ahead in the future, I can tell you that everything will be all right. I realize that you can’t change the past. All you can do is change the future. There will be times where things didn’t go our way. You have to do double for them to not have an excuse to take that away from you, but remember you’re the best person to believe in. Your DECA family will be there for you. And there’s nobody that will be there to fight your corner as much as them. 

DECA will bring many tears to your eyes- some of sadness and defeat (not becoming district president, missing finals awards, and messing up your ICDC presentation) but many of disbelief and happiness (visiting universal and Disneyland, being elected district 4 vice president, and going on stage for top-10 at ICDC) You’ll never believe that the first year, 2017, you will go to ICDC. There might’ve been better speakers and writers but nobody could’ve out-prepared you. Even though you had every intention to become a dentist or baker in the future, you’re going to learn so much and have a great time competing in Restaurant and Food Service Management and Learn and Earn Project. 

You’re going to learn so much about business and DECA along the way but more importantly learn about yourself and those around you. You’re going to make a lot of great relationships along the way. I’d just say to take your time and make some time for yourself. But dude, live it up, live it to the fullest. You’ll meet so many great people- Patrick, Naqeeb, Ishaan, Alamin, Peyton, Anthony, Chris, Harrison, Hayden, Matt, Tianhui, Bhavya, Omar, Zaid, Kevin, Karim, and Andrew. They will introduce you to so many amazing things and change the way you view the world. There’s so many opportunities and possibilities ahead. There’s so much potential in you- more than anyone else you’re competing against. Give it everything.

Best Regards,

Michael

BY: MICHAEL NGUYEN

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DECA Conferences: Expectations And Tips

We all know what’s coming up…. Power Trips and Educational Development Conferences! Hands up if you are ready! DECA provides three types of competitions : Leadership, Career Pathway and Career Development conferences. If this is your first, second, third or even tenth, I suggest you get ready for an extraordinary trip.  

Expectations

Explore: Get ready to get out of your comfort zone, meet new people and explore the city! It not very often you have the chance to fly out to a new state, and experience new places and people with your DECA chapter so be #Limitless and take advantage of these opportunities. DECA conferences provide chances to learn new tips, ideas and pivotal information to help you in competition and the business world.

Learn: These conferences are developed to inspire, promote leadership, and educate! Workshops and seminars are going on throughout the conference covering many topics that will help you for the future. From workshops teaching you how to write a business plan,  how to prepare for a role play, to helping you speak more eloquently and how to ace professionalism and etc. These seminars have you covered! So don’t feel overwhelmed, choose a development workshop that best fits your needs!

Expect: These conferences are held in some of the most unique cities and atmospheres you will ever encounter. At conference, you will be engaging in all sorts of DECA-tastic activities you may have never thought about being a part of nor ever knew existed. As a student you will be immersed with a lot of information that will help prepare you for your future, but don’t let that scare you! Instead, take advantage of it and expect that you will leave the conference future ready! With a “go-getter” mentality you are destined to take advantage of every moment at conference.

Remember expand your horizons and don’t be shy to be outside of the box. Enjoy yourself and your trip, good luck!

For more information about DECA Conferences go to : https://www.deca.org/high-school-programs/high-school-educational-conferences/

BY: JESSICA GALLARDO

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What Makes ICDC Unforgettable

If you spend every day after a conference wishing you were back in that moment, you’re not alone! I’ve been fortunate enough to attend my district and state career and development conference, but my absolute favorite has been the one and only ICDC! For most (if not all) non-DECA members, ICDC sounds like a strange code word or an element on the periodic table. Though, anyone in DECA can assure them that it’s not. In fact, it’s the BEST conference ever. Here’s the proof:

1. You get to meet people from all 50 states AND from other countries! There are 19,000 other DECA-lovers like you to meet, and this is your chance. You get to come back home and brag about how you’re now friends with people from North Carolina and California.

2. Pin trading is a blast! It’s a fun way to collect tokens from other places while meeting those new people I talked about in #1. Once you start trading, you’ll never stop.

3. Attractions are everywhere! Last year in Anaheim, chapters spent their free time at Universal or Disneyland or Downtown Disney or anywhere else because the city had so much to do!

4. The #DECAHYPE is real at Grand Awards when you see your friends or other Texas teams place top 10 in the world! It’s a big deal, and it’s such a lively environment to be in.

5. Competing at the international level is not just an honor but it’s its own experience. You are beside only the select few from across the world who have the opportunity of a lifetime to snatch #DECAGlass, and those who really want it will show it.

In all, ICDC is like no other conference because of its scale and the environment. It’s the prime opportunity to network, to compete, and (of ) course to have fun!

BY: EMILY NGUYEN

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How to Make Your Mock Conference a Success

As we all know, conference season doesn’t start until January – but that’s no excuse to put off practicing your events in a competitive environment! Chapters that host mock conferences often do better at ICDC (looking at you, Ontario) and have members who end up more prepared for the business world. The benefits of mock conferences can’t be overstated, so we’ve come up with 3 steps to help your chapter host one:

1. Plan out a date and location ahead of time.

This sounds obvious, but many times a conference has failed because officers didn’t coordinate a place and time for the practice proactively. A common misconception that prevents many chapters from hosting practices is that the conference needs to be as formal as a District CDC, when in reality the cafeteria works just fine! Dates for conferences should be announced at least 4 weeks ahead of time and confirmed with school administration. This way, the few hours of commitment on a weekend can be scheduled off for members, and scheduling conflicts can be avoided.

2. Find volunteer judges.

Judges don’t need to be business professionals – parents, teachers, and even upperclassmen with experience in competitive events are perfectly valid judges for a mock conference. Most parents and teachers are more than willing to help out, but it’s always a good idea to do something nice (i.e. buying coffee or providing snacks) for volunteers. Again, make sure to ask for judges ahead of time to make sure that there will be enough to judge all of the necessary events.

3. Make sure competitors are familiar with their events before the conference.

Although a mock conference is a great place for competitors to get accustomed to a competitive environment, it’s not the time for members to be familiarizing themselves with their events for the first time. At the general chapter meeting leading up to the conference, encourage members to check this to go over their event guidelines and performance indicators.

Bonus: Set up meetings to go over feedback forms.

After your judges have filled out an evaluation form, members might not know how to interpret their scores or improve in certain areas. Officers and upperclassmen can be put in charge of competitive clusters based on their experience in competitive events and go over evaluation sheets with members after the mock conference. This way, your members will know how to improve their performance before the next conference.

BY: EMILY GAO

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Texas DECA Dress Code Policy

See the Texas DECA Dress Code Policy below or click the button to download.

Official Dress Code

When appearing on stage, as a voting delegate, or in front of a judge, Texas DECA’s Official Dress Code is required.

Texas DECA Official Dress Code Females must wear dress slacks with a dress shirt, an official DECA blazer or blazer, and dress shoes.

Accommodations for religious or cultural reasons will be taken under consideration on a conference by conference basis. The student’s advisor must submit an accommodation request on or before the published advanced notice deadline for the conference. Advisors who receive a student accommodation approval will be give detailed compliance guidelines they must adhere to.

Males must be in a suit, official DECA blazer or sport coat with dress slacks, collared dress shirt, necktie, dress shoes and dress socks.

Business Casual for gentlemen means a collared shirt and dress slacks / khakis. For ladies, it includes slacks and a dress polo or button-down blouse. No baseball caps/fashionable headwear, sweats/athletic gear, jeans, carpenter pants, shorts, excessively tight/revealing clothing, or flipflops may be worn.

Casual attire should follow school dress code. Jeans are acceptable. No strapless, backless or spaghetti straps. Appropriate shoes must be worn.

What to wear for each session or event during the State Career Development Conference:

Opening Session: All members attending the Opening Session are recommended to follow Texas DECA’s Official Dress Code. Students receiving an award or recognition on stage are required to be in Texas DECA’s Official Dress Code. The minimum attire expectation for all attendees is business casual.

Exhibit Area: The minimum attire expectation for all attendees is business casual.

Competitive Event Area: All members are required to be in Texas DECA’s Official Dress Code.

Election Session and Business Meeting: Voting delegates are required to be in Texas DECA’s Official Dress Code. Business casual is recommended for all other attendees. School-appropriate casual attire is acceptable. No strapless, backless or spaghetti straps.

Entertainment: School-appropriate casual attire is acceptable. No strapless, backless or spaghetti straps.

Grand Awards Session: All members are required to be in Texas DECA’s Official Dress Code. If you are out of dress code, you will not be allowed on stage to accept your award.

VIOLATIONS WILL BE HANDLED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Student will appear before Board Member for dress code review.
2. If violation occurs, student will be asked to change clothing to adhere to dress code rules.
3. Student can return to compete in the allotted time remaining in their event or return to the function in which they are attending.

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