Northwest Arkansas DECA students set for national conference

Dozens of Northwest Arkansas high school students are heading to Orlando, Fla., this weekend to compete against others from around the world in tests of their business savvy.

The International Career Development Conference is an annual event hosted by DECA, an organization that fosters leadership and entrepreneurship skills in high school and college students. More than 17,000 students are expected to attend this year's conference, which runs for four days starting Saturday.

DECA

DECA, originally known as the Distributive Education Clubs of America, was founded in 1946. Its mission is to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. It now counts 215,000 members spread out across 3,500 high schools and 275 colleges and universities.

Source: DECA.org

Most students attending participate in one of DECA's competitive events. Each event involves a written component -- such as an exam or report -- and an interactive role-playing component with at least one industry professional serving as a judge.

There are numerous events to participate in covering five career clusters: business management and administration, entrepreneurship, finance, hospitality and tourism and marketing. Those who finish in the top three at the state level competitions are eligible to compete at the national conference.

Bentonville High School will send 47 students to the conference, said Margot Cowing, the school's DECA adviser. That's a record number for the school.

Jennifer Laman, a Bentonville High senior, is her school's DECA chapter president and vice president of membership at the organization's state level. Laman once thought she wanted to be a nurse, but her experience with DECA has convinced her to pursue a career in finance.

"DECA has made me a much better public speaker," Laman said. "I would say it's a huge confidence booster. You learn to act in a professional setting."

Bentonville's DECA presence is steadily growing. This year the Bentonville chapter has 185 members. Junior Chase Hunter has been elected the state DECA president for next school year and his classmate Kate Hedgecock will serve as state vice president of membership. There are about 2,100 DECA members in Arkansas, Cowing said.

Bentonville DECA students have gone to the national conference for years but never landed one of the top prizes in any category.

"I would love to see someone just make it into the finals," Cowing said.

Few from Northwest Arkansas have experienced that kind of success. Meredith Breach was a junior at Rogers High School when she won the first-place prize in the food marketing event at the 2012 conference. That's one of the few national winners Arkansas has ever had, if not the only one, said Tom Woodruff, Rogers High's DECA adviser for the past seven years.

Woodruff is taking five students to Orlando this week, including Riley McGill, a senior who competed at the conference two years ago and a three-time first-place winner at the state level. Rogers Heritage High School is also bringing at least a few students, Woodruff said.

"The competition is real tough," he said. "But it's a wonderful experience. You are able to rub elbows with the best of the best from all over the world. It's an experience in getting to know people from all over."

The conference is about more than competitions, however. It also features speeches from business leaders, exhibits on colleges and careers and more.

Springdale High School will be represented at the conference by seven students, three of whom will take part in competitions. Cindy Whitaker and her sister Tracy Reed are co-advisers to the school's DECA chapter. Springdale High scrapped its DECA program in the 1980s, but Whitaker helped restart it in 1991.

Derrick Bush, a 16-year-old sophomore at Springdale High, is in his first year with DECA. His mother pushed him to get involved and he finally relented, he said. He's glad he did, in part because of the friends he's made through the program.

"It has guided me through hard times and has changed me for the better," Bush said.

For Bush, this week's trip to Florida will be his first on an airplane. Other students have gotten a number of different travel opportunities they wouldn't have had if not for their involvement in DECA, Whitaker said.

The trip to Orlando doesn't come without a cost, of course. Bentonville students, for example, will pay $1,100 for airline tickets and lodging, according to Cowing. Some have raised money to pay for their trip.

Whitaker's daughter, Mary Kathryn Whitaker, is a Springdale High graduate and freshman at the University of Central Arkansas. She's studying public relations and looking forward to a career in marketing communications, an interest she said was sparked by her involvement in DECA.

The DECA competitions always gave her an adrenaline rush, she wrote in an email.

"So many times students spend hours studying, doing homework, and working extremely hard without any gratification," she wrote. "The excitement and pure joy that shines on the faces of students when they get called to stage to win an award is priceless. DECA competition is a way to showcase the hard work of so many students as well as provide many vital opportunities for networking and teamwork."

Community impact

DECA programs, besides getting students thinking about possible careers, also promote community involvement.

Bentonville High DECA students are responsible for organizing and marketing the annual Mr. BHS competition. This year's Mr. BHS raised a record $8,000, Cowing said. The group donated $6,000 of that money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to support granting a wish for a local child. That wish will be granted next month.

Hunter said he believes they can do an even better job raising money with the Mr. BHS event next year. That's because many students weren't aware the money was going to Make-A-Wish. DECA needs to do a better job informing students of that, he said.

"I think we need to spread the word about (Mr. BHS) more to the city of Bentonville," Hunter added.

The Rogers High chapter's 161 members help maintain a trail at Hobbs State Park, Woodruff said. They also raise money for the Arkansas Children's Hospital and for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Rogers High chapter was recognized this year for having raised the most money for charities of any chapter in the state, Woodruff said.

Springdale High's DECA club organizes two blood drives on campus each year. The next one is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Whitaker said. The students also volunteer to help out with charity events run by the Muscular Dystrophy Association -- DECA's largest charitable partner nationally -- and March of Dimes.

DECA teaches students the importance of giving back, Woodruff said. It also teaches a variety of skills that will make them attractive to employers, Woodruff said.

"They learn to work in teams. That's a skill a lot of local businesses and industries are looking for," Woodruff said. "They get that by working on various projects. They learn to communicate better. They learn to compete. They learn how to problem solve and become decision makers and to organize their efforts into whatever projects they're working on. The list goes on and on."

NW News on 04/20/2015

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