School is finally back on, and so is DECA! Whether you’re excited for school or not, you’re ready to get your DECA back on after this break. But how? Well, I am glad you asked. Today I want to give you a few tips on how to kickstart your DECA year.

First things first: check with your local advisor on events that are upcoming. The start of the year is usually when you have events like initiation, well-dressed Wednesdays, and chapter meetings. Beyond that, you want to inquire whether your chapter will be attending Dodger’s Day (September 21) and Fall Leadership Conference (October 18). These are important statewide events that you would not want to miss out on! 

The next thing you want to do is get ready for competition. I know what you are going to say. “Competition is in February I have so much time to prepare later.” Don’t worry. All I’m asking you to do right now is research the events and get a feeling for what events speak to you. Once you do that, ask other people who competed in those events what they thought of it and if they have any tips. This year, it may not even be that bad of an idea to start preparing early because there will be several new incentives for performing well in competition. Stay on the lookout for that!

Finally, go have fun! Connect with your DECA friends from your class and get to know them. You can even meet DECA people from beyond your chapter by talking to members online and at these statewide conferences. Business and marketing doesn’t have to be this foreign mundane topic. These are ideas that we implement every day. So, go out in the world and use your DECA knowledge to better yourself and society, and make sure to have fun while you’re at it!

Aarav Jilka

VP of Leadership