Harker DECA hosted a Parent Night in the Nichols Hall atrium and auditorium in early October to inform parents about the program, including the time commitment, conference details and opportunities for parent involvement.

“Parent Night is a really great time for all the parents involved in the Harker DECA community to come together and learn about what their students do during the school year,” said Alexis Gauba, grade 12, co-CEO of Harker DECA. “Getting parents involved in Harker DECA is very important as judges and in supporting their students, so it’s a way for us to say ‘thank you’ to them and show them what we have planned for the upcoming DECA year.”

Gauba and her co-CEO, senior Riya Chandra, started the night with a video showing the opportunities available within DECA and discussed DECA events, including study sessions, conferences and community outreach programs.

Afterward, Chandra’s mother, Asha, who was the 2014 Harker DECA Parent of the Year, recounted her experience as a DECA judge and parent, noting the growth she witnessed in her daughter.

“I love being a DECA parent, because I get to see what my own daughter has been involved with. I also get to judge and learn about what so many other kids are doing, and I love watching the other kids compete because they all come up with such amazing ideas,” she said.

The other speaker was former Harker DECA CEO Monica Thukral ’14, who is now a junior at the University of Southern California. Thukral discussed the benefits and network DECA provided her with during high school, as well as how it continues to help her in college. She said DECA introduced her to people from all around the world, and gave her the opportunity to explore her passion.

This year’s Parent Night was tremendously successful, as it gave parents a solid understanding of DECA. After all, the Harker DECA program owes much of its success to the continual support and assistance of parents.

“Especially being a parent of a freshman, there are a lot of questions, so being able to get answers to all of those and also see the perspective from not just the officers but previous students as well as parents were very helpful,” said Sameer Joshi, parent to Arnav Joshi, grade 9. “I’m looking forward to Arnav having a good experience trying out different things and finding something he really enjoys.”

Harker DECA looks forward to attending the first conference of the year, the Leadership and Competitive Excellence Conference in November, and gearing up for the competitive season.

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