DECA’s district meet took place on Jan. 19. DECA will now have its first in-person state meet since Feb. 2020 from Feb. 24-26 in Houston. 82 students out of 140 advanced after the Jan. 19 district meet.

“This year we’re ‘alive’ and have increased membership from 65 to over 150,” DECA sponsor Sherry Gowarty said.

Due to COVID-19, students competed online last year by uploading videos to YouTube or Vimeo and sending DECA judges the link. 

“It wasn’t fun at all, and it was kind of like just doing a homework assignment,” DECA president Tejaswini Ramkumar Babu said. “It’s larger this year in terms of excitement and preparation.”

Competitions at state consist of roleplay and written events. Roleplay events involve being presented with a business scenario while written events involve researching and creating a business plan. 

“We’re going to be competing against 18,000 other students in Texas,” Gowarty said. “It’s harder, and everyone going to state is already at the top of their level from winning their respective district [event].”

The state meet is a three-day event. Day one will have an opening session, day two will consist of competing and voting for state officers and day three will be the awards session.

“I’m really excited because [my] sophomore year, state was really fun, and the fact that we didn’t have it in person last year was really sad,” senior Saara Sherali said. “I’m just really excited to have that in-person state experience again.” 

As of now, DECA has goals of more involvement in its chapter, an even stronger leadership team and more out of school event opportunities. 

“DECA helps improve our 21st century skills, gain leadership and entrepreneurial experience and network,” Ramkumar Babu said. “It’s a great place for students to explore their career interests and make new friends.”