​​​​Jasmine Chemplanikal​

DECA is a business organization that has multiple competitions, speakers and professional seminars to help students grow as professionals. State competition and national competitions have allowed students to network with real professionals and get a sense of the competiveness of the business world. As a freshman in college, I had no real experience with the business world. I was so nervous coming into competitions and was scared that I would pause during the presentation and embarrass myself. Competitions allowed me to feel what it was like to be in stressful situations. This is hugely applicable to the real world when an employee is trying to present to their clients. An employee needs to be prepared and ready in any presentation with a client or the client could become disinterested and find that the company is unprofessional. The judges at state competition also provided useful critique that allowed me to improve my presentation for future reference. He was able to discuss what parts of the presentation he liked and disliked and how my group could improve and further connect with a client. After our group had presented to the judges we were able to relieve our stress and focus our time on speaking with directors, managers and other employees at well-known companies. After practicing my elevator speech a few times, I walked up to a professional and started a simple conversation and before you know it he handed me his business card and I had expanded my web of connections. DECA was a great experience and I look forward to competitions this year as well.