An Education Student’s Take on DECA

An Education Student’s Take on DECA

An Education Student’s Take on DECA 150 150 huynhr

By: Johana Mendoza

When I first joined DECA, I thought that I was going to go into the Hotel Industry. I was attending a magnet school and was a part of their hospitality program. I thought that was what I was going to do, and I figured that DECA would bring me closer to my future career and give me a leg up against other individuals that wanted to go into the hotel industry as well. Little did I know, I would enter college as an education major.

There seems to be a bit of misunderstanding that DECA is only for those that want to go into entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, hospitality, and/or management. Though I still have some sights set on entrepreneurship and management, I am definitely an education major first. So, I get a lot of questions about why I am in DECA, and, every time, I respond that DECA is more than its career clusters. DECA is also about networking and growing as a leader. It is about presentation and professionalism, all of which are extremely important qualities for a teacher.

I honestly wish that students from other careers would join DECA, not only to make the organization more diverse, but to grow professionally from an organization that can take you places. Even as a future educator, I know that DECA is still going to put me a step ahead of other people in my industry because I have used the opportunities that DECA provides me to my advantage. There are countless resources that an organization like DECA holds and I hope more people become aware of that and use them to grow as well.

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