Bright lights. Pounding hearts. Juniors Aracely Ramirez and her partner, Jalissa Aguilar, walk the stage, ready to receive their award. Both scored perfectly on the 20-page written portion and only received one point deduction on their 15-minute presentation, leading to them becoming the state champions.
“Going to internationals has been a dream of mine since freshman year, joining DECA,” Ramirez said. “It’s surreal that our months of preparation and research ended up paying off.”
Distributive Education Clubs of America, DECA, is a student-led organization at Ben Barber that focuses on competition and professional development in the different aspects of business, marketing, finance and entrepreneurship. Helping its members develop leadership skills and softer skills that will prepare them to enter the workforce.
“DECA is a great organization for building long-lasting relationships with people who share similar goals,” Ramirez said. “It’s great being surrounded by people with no ambition gap, and I’ve been able to meet so many new people from across Texas with different goals, but ultimately all strive for success.”
The International Career Development Conference will be held April 25-29 in Atlanta, Georgia. Both Ramirez and Aguilar will be in attendance.
“DECA has taught me useful soft skills that can be applied to the workforce and in the community,” Ramirez said. “I’ve learned how to present engaging content, collaborate effectively with my officer team and members, conduct extensive research and display a positive attitude.”
Ramirez and Aguilar recently participated in the Texas DECA State Leadership Conference, SCDC, lasting from Feb. 19-21.
“It’s been my dream since freshman year to advance to ICDC,” Aguilar said. “Knowing that all the hard work me and my partner put into our project paid off made us proud.”
Aguilar joined DECA in her freshman year, working alongside Ramirez throughout. They continuously worked together to get where they are today.
“Throughout competition, competitors can build up life skills and they can use these in any career they go into,” Aguilar said. “Additionally, it allows participants to learn how to become more organized and prepare for the future.”
Aguilar plans to attend a four-year university and eventually go into medical school for Anesthesiology. Despite DECA being centered around business, it allows Aguilar to build skills that help her no matter what she decides to do.
“I think DECA is a very beneficial program and provides many opportunities for its members,” Aguilar said. “Not only are we able to go on fun trips, but we are also encouraged to always compete and network with others.”
DECA is a student-led organization, with officers such as Aguilar, who helps build her teammates’ skills, collaboration and time management skills. DECA is made of the teamwork that is emitted by those in the organization.
“I want people to know that DECA is a great way to get involved in both the community and business,” Ramirez said. “The skills you learn are applicable in any field that you go into. It’s a fun way to compete, connect and explore.”
