San Jose, California— DECA month occurred this November, with Harker DECA celebrating the month by hosting several outreach events, attending Power Trip, and participating in DECA’s social media challenge. Over the course of November, Harker DECA’s Instagram (@harkerdeca) uploaded daily posts responding to DECA-related prompts, shared alumni success stories, and created engaging ethics polls called “Let’s Talk Ethics”. Outside of social media, the chapter hosted school outreach activities like Hustle for Muscle, Dine with DECA, an Ice Cream Social, and Winter Wishes. 

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“DECA month is one of the most exciting times of the school year,” said Gabriel Jacob Li, Vice President of Public Relations. “It’s an opportunity for us to give back to the community, while also having fun by engaging our chapter through events and activities.”

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OUTREACH 

Throughout the month, Harker DECA hosted four outreach activities— Ice Cream Social, Hustle for Muscle, Winter Wishes, and Dine With DECA. 

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Ice Cream Social: 

On Friday, November 3rd, Harker DECA held an ice cream social for the students and faculty to kick off DECA Month. In addition to serving ice cream, the officer team raised engagement by hosting a booth about the chapter’s upcoming events, programs, and competitions, as well as general information about DECA. Over 150 students attended, and many students took pictures in front of the booth to post on social media.

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Hustle for Muscle:

On the 16th and 18th of November, Harker DECA hosted the Hustle For Muscle volleyball tournament in collaboration with Harker Spirit in the gym. The first day featured two games: sophomores facing off against the seniors and the freshmen playing the juniors. Two days later, more games were played to determine first and third place. The tournament ended in a student versus teacher/faculty finale match. These games supported the Muscular Dystrophy Association by raising awareness about its cause and also promoting the selling of Winter Wishes. 

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“Watching the volleyball game was such a fun experience, especially seeing teachers getting into the competitive spirit against fellow students, but the best part was watching the Junior class win,” said Jonathan Wang, Harker Spirit’s Competitive Events Secretary.

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Winter Wishes:

Harker DECA created over 100 small goodie bags called Winter Wishes filled with snacks, toys, and other holiday fun to sell to the student body and faculty of Harker to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. All proceeds generated from the fundraiser were donated. The DECA team raised funds and promoted awareness in the community by educating students about the cause while spreading holiday cheer.

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Dine with DECA:

Harker DECA held their annual Dine with DECA Event on November 29th during lunch. Participants utilized the opportunity to network with industry professionals to gain valuable insight into different career paths in various fields, such as law, venture capital, gaming, and more.

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"Hearing about many professionals' personal experiences allowed me to learn about the nuances between various industries, which provided me with a different perspective that I wouldn't typically be able to find online," said DECA officer Eden Kelly (10).

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Over the course of November, Harker DECA shared alumni success stories, participated in DECA’s social media challenge, and created an opportunity for students to share their opinions on ethical behavior.

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Social Media Challenge:

Every day in November, Harker DECA’s Public Relations team created an Instagram graphic to post @harkerdeca responding to DECA Inc’s daily prompts. By participating in this challenge, the chapter was not only able to provide insight into what DECA is like at Harker but also foster a sense of community with followers and DECA chapters across the nation.

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Ethics Polls– Let’s Talk Ethics:

To interact and get to know the student body, Harker DECA also created a survey called “Let’s Talk Ethics,” where students gave their two-sense on whether or not a controversial action was okay to do in the workplace. After many interesting and insightful responses, many conversations were started with students via Instagram, and different discussions about controversies in business ethics were argued in friendly debates. A sample poll question given to the students via Instagram stories was “Would you rather use sustainable materials or cheaper, unsustainable materials?” 

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Alumni Takeovers:

Harker DECA invited three alumni, Bryan Zhang ‘20, Gianna Chan ‘22, and Lexi Nishimura ‘23, to take over the Harker DECA Instagram story for a whole day. Each alum began by introducing themselves and proceeded to post various glimpses of a "day in their life" as a Harker DECA Alum and college student. They also answered questions from students and other viewers, allowing the DECA community to learn about the skills and influence DECA has beyond high school. All three alumni featured are majoring in business, finance, or entrepreneurship fields, so followers were presented with previews of university classes in their fields of interest as well.

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HDMC:

On November 10th, over 50 first-year members from both Harker and Saratoga DECA Chapters attended the Harker DECA Fall Conference. The day simulated the experience of a real conference consisting of a testing session, a roleplay tournament, workshops hosted by the officer team, and an awards ceremony to conclude. During the Opening Ceremony, the Director of Roleplays Robinson Xiang presented to the students roleplay competition tips and even completed an entire roleplay in front of the audience. In an interactive workshop, the officer team gave insightful tips and tricks on interview etiquette and invited members from the audience on stage to practice.