On Jan. 17, Coppell DECA took 240 students to participate in the District 11 Career Development Conference at Irving Convention Center. As one of the top 10 memberships in the state, Coppell DECA made up approximately one seventh of the 1400 District 11 participants.
However, Coppell’s presence in District 11 DECA was not always one for the books.
“When I first came here [Coppell] eight years ago, we took 18 people to the state competition,” Coppell High School DECA advisor Richard Chamberlain said.
This growth continues, as students of different career paths unify under this professional and career development-oriented organization. Out of all Career and Technical Education student organizations, DECA has been the more in recent years, as more and more Coppell students qualify for the international competitions.
“Students are motivated to do well in competitions and have some fun outside of school,” Chamberlain said. “They network with people from around the world who are also interested in the same subject matter, and many times going to the same college.”
One of Coppell DECA’s largest factors of growth was the ending of the BPA chapter, which ended in 2021 due to a lack of sponsorship. This allowed business-interested students to concentrate solely on DECA, as it gained over 80 members within that year.
CHS also started requiring students to be in certain classes to take part in DECA, which helped students take classes that they were interested in and fed into more concentrated students taking interest.
“There seem to be more students enrolling in the courses that are a requirement for DECA over the years, looking to sharpen their business skills, ” DECA sponsor Andrea Pirtle said.
A more constant cause for the increased interest, however, was the recognition of DECA’s hands-on experience and potential professional growth possibilities. The growing interest is not limited to just Coppell DECA, with District 11 participation doubling in the last year.
“A lot of us have constantly talked to our friends about joining and convinced them that it’s a fun time and provides a lot of awesome career opportunities,” said senior Coppell DECA CEO Anveshi Goyal, who also serves as District 11 2023-24 president.
A common quality of DECA competitions is its social appeal and possible travel opportunities. For many, it has acted as a way to travel with friends and meet new people with similar job aspirations.
“CHS9 was very close knit so it was like I was traveling with family which was very appealing and entertaining,” Coppell DECA executive vice president of administration Sabah Uddin said. “What attracted me the most was the possible recognition you gain from winning competitions, especially because it was a very established organization. The low stake situation helps you get valuable experience in more than business skills, while being in a professional environment.”
Students who are interested in more than business have participated in DECA. People join to experience public speaking and gain exposure to business ethics and other career pathways.
“I never would have become the public speaker I am right now without DECA, because it sets you up for specific communication and speaking skills,” Goyal said. “These skills are one of the most useful things, no matter what career, or industry you go into. You need to know how to talk to a crowd, and you need to know how to express yourself and express your words coherently and professionally.”
To be a state or a national qualifier in DECA, a 70-year-old organization, has gained recognition on a high school resume. Students also often strive for leadership roles to create business-oriented impact locally, becoming committed returning members and competitors.
“Many students have publicized where they have gotten into school, how much fun they had with DECA and having it be a supplemental part of their college application,” Chamberlain said.
Coppell advanced 219 students to the Texas State Development Career Conference which takes place from Feb. 15-17 in Houston.
“The growth that we’re looking for at this point is to have our achievements at the international competition continue to improve, have more people make finals, more high achievers with the test and with the roleplay scores and get that top three DECA glass this year,” Chamberlain said.
