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unlv

An Education Student’s Take on DECA 150 150 huynhr

An Education Student’s Take on DECA

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.

UNLV Collegiate DECA Hosts Competition Academy 960 640 huynhr

UNLV Collegiate DECA Hosts Competition Academy

By Cecilia Yau

On December 4th, 2015, UNLV Collegiate DECA hosted its 2nd annual Competition Academy for high school DECA students in the Las Vegas area to attend.

The competition academy is a place where students who are new to high school DECA can come to learn about competitions, get competition tips, and have a chance to try a mock case study or business stimulation in front of a real judge.

For many high school DECA students, the competition academy will be the first opportunity to develop their skills for the state conference and beyond.

After months of planning from the Competition Academy Committee, the event was a success. Over 80 local high school students attended and 12 local business professionals offered their time to act as judges and mentors for the  program.

Students from UNLV DECA and CSN DECA also volunteered their time and gained experience learning how to run a competitive event of this size.

At 8:30 a.m., UNLV DECA President Randy Huynh officially opened the ceremony, though volunteers had started setting up several hours before.

After the ceremony, Nevada DECA State Director Curtis Haley ran the students through a training session where they all learned how to get through a case study. For many, this was the first time they had such an experience.

At noon, their hard work was payed off with lunch and the opportunity to interact with UNLV DECA members.

Over the next three hours, the students tested their newly acquired skills during the competition session with judges from various local industries. The judges provided feedback to students after the scores were compiled.

To close the day, students with high enough scores were given medals at the award ceremony.

UNLV DECA had a blast hosting the 100+ students, advisors, and judges on our campus. We hope that the students excel in their state competition next month and return next year for our 3rd annual Competition Academy!

What’s Beyond Collegiate DECA? 960 547 huynhr

What’s Beyond Collegiate DECA?

By: Randolph Huynh

Many college students who join Collegiate DECA (especially former DECA members from the high school division) believe that DECA is about competing in business competitive events. Competing is an amazing experience and being able to achieve “International Finalist” or “International Champion” is an honor that many DECA students, both in high school and and in the collegiate division, yearn to achieve. However, that is only a small part of being a Collegiate DECA member.

The main goal of being involved in Collegiate DECA is to build 21st century skills that can be applied to any industry you are, or want to be, involved with.

An article by the huffington post noted that 45 percent of college graduates aren’t working in jobs that fits with their bachelor degrees. So why are college graduates not getting the jobs they’re majoring in? The Washington Post noted three skills that are lacking from college graduates.

  • Lack of problem solving
  • Lack of decision making skills
  • Lack of basic talking skills

A good habit that Collegiate DECA members learn is to be on “DECA time”, which means arriving 15 minutes early. It’s a standard practice that impresses many people because being on time means you’re late. In UNLV DECA, you will definitely learn business skills that are essential to being a standout for any industry.

The workforce is becoming very competitive, especially in the Hospitality and Business industry. So how can Collegiate DECA make you become a standout?

Collegiate DECA’s core focus is: Competence, Integrity, Innovation, and Teamwork. Students who are involved in Collegiate DECA member will build essential skills from three areas:

  1. Lead
  2. Serve
  3. Advocate

Lead

The best way to learn how to be a leader is to simply just do it. One way to gain leadership experience at UNLV DECA is to join a committee. Every year, UNLV DECA officers are responsible for creating an action plan for different projects that will be executed by committees. What’s shocking to many people about UNLV DECA’s committees is that we start from the ground up. With a budget of $0, members in the committees learn how we can run a project that costs over $3,000. Members who are involved with committees will learn how to:

  • Find different resources and reach out to the community to fund the project
  • Collaborate with a diverse student group
  • Be accountable  
  • Be able to adapt and figure out solutions to unexpected challenges

Members who are involved with committees will have an easier time learning how to collaborate and work in teams.

Serve

Serving is a major part of the learning experience that UNLV DECA provides. In order to lead, you must first learn to serve. 

Advocate

On the national level, DECA is over 70 years old. It is the responsibility of its members to ensure that its legacy carries on for years more. Whenever you wear the DECA pin or wear the DECA shirt, you ARE DECA. Members are given opportunities to attend various community events and networking. At these events member learn how to:

  • Network with business professionals
  • Present their image
  • Build business relationships

Being active in Collegiate DECA leads to building these essential, 21st century business skills that can be applied to any industry. Having these skills also makes you a standout. If you want to know what is the end product of being a Collegiate DECA member, take a look at some of our distinguished UNLV DECA members.

Dyan Baguio – Went through the selective MGM International Internship Program and was offered a position at MGM International.

Nicholas Huynh – Accepted four job offers with different businesses without showing a resume.

Daniel Dinev – Became the first Nevada Collegiate DECA ICDC champion.

These are just some of the members who received unique experiences and opportunities through UNLV DECA. Now it’s your time to see what kind of journey you will have in the world of Collegiate DECA!

Never miss an event again 150 150 huynhr

Never miss an event again

By Blaze Lovell

It’s a new year with more opportunities to #BeEpic. UNLV DECA has some great events planned for its members. To stay up to date with that is going on in the organization, you should sync your Google calendar with UNLV DECA’s. Here’s a quick guide on how to do just that:

  1. Log in to your Google account.
  2. Click on the drop down screen in the upper right hand corner and head to calendar.
  3. On the left side, click on “Other Calendars” and type in unlvdeca@gmail.com into the space below and hit Enter. The calendar should automatically sync.
  4. Need to know what’s happening while on the go? Log in to your Google account on your smartphone’s web browser and click on calendar in the drop down menu.
  5. You’ll be taken to a mobile version of the same calendar!