The extracurricular activity that has shaped me the most is DECA, a competitive business club where students compete in business events at the district, state, and international level. Since I started as a small freshman, I have incredible opportunities to compete, improve my communication skills, learn business concepts, network, and learn how to win and lose gracefully. From DECA, I have gained three key experiences including competition successes, a marketing internship, and the opportunity to run for Michigan DECA State Officer. My first year in DECA at Northville High School opened my eyes to what business is. I had previously thought that business only referred to stocks, finance, and large corporations. I was quite surprised at the …show more content…
These officers represent Michigan DECA, help arrange the various DECA conferences and competitions in Michigan, and also aid in making decisions with the executive board for Michigan DECA. Beforehand, I had served as a Marketing Event Coordinator and am currently serving as the Director of Personnel for Northville DECA. My experience with campaigning for Michigan DECA State Officer began with an initial screening of 22 candidates to 16, then initial preparations for the campaign. I worked with my Northville DECA advisers and a campaign team I organized to create flyers, design promotional pens, a campaign booth, and a campaign speech. Through this process, I learned countless skills of how to run for a political office. I persevered until the very end, but unfortunately lost the state officer election. Although I did not achieve what I had hoped, I learned invaluable lessons through the process. I learned how to campaign, made new friends and connections, and learned how to deal with losing at something you worked so hard to obtain. Although some memories from high school will fade, I will never forget how DECA has changed my life and opened my eyes to the opportunities to change the world through