On January 18th, Seymour High School sophomores Ivy Ye and Isabelle Young placed 2nd at the state DECA competition. They’re the first students to place at a DECA competition for the newly formed DECA Club at Seymour High School.
Both girls joined DECA out of curiosity and social media influence. Leading up to the event, Ivy practiced by “doing as many exams as I could, then following nights practicing with Isabelle on role-play samples.” When it was finally time for the competition, they faced unexpected challenges, such as not knowing “when we would compete because they had originally set a time for each group, but we ended up competing hours before scheduled. Another big challenge was the time and materials used for preparation. Isabelle and I usually practiced on paper with 30 minutes of preparation time. Due to the weather, they cut the time to 20 minutes, and we didn’t know they would use flashcards instead of paper.” The most challenging problem was “gaining the confidence to speak in front of a judge.”
The challenges didn’t affect them. Ivy said, “Although I did not believe we would rank as high, my biggest goal was to stay optimistic. Trusting my abilities and giving it my best shot made me feel better overall. My goal was to have fun and gain experience rather than being disappointed or unconfident about how well I had performed.” When the results came in, they both stated they were shocked; Isabelle said, “While I thought we did well, I didn’t know we did that well.” Apart from the recognition that comes with placing second, Ivy also learned, “a lot about the business industry, as I did not take a business class which made it more difficult for me. Business etiquette was another huge thing I learned, mainly how to do a proper handshake, and how I should act and present myself. The skills I learned are problem-solving, critical thinking, and self-confidence. You have to learn to be confident in what you are saying even if you have absolutely no idea.” They both hope to take their talents to ICDC, the state competition.
Both Ivy and Isabelle have some advice for students interested in joining. Isabelle would like interested students “to go for it and don’t hesitate. Just try out for the club, and if it doesn’t work for you, oh well. Just joining the club and trying for an event takes courage, so take the leap and try.” Ivy’s advice to people is “for students to practice. Practicing is probably the most important thing a student can do to prepare themselves and focus on areas that they miss or do not thrive in. As for the day of competition, getting enough sleep and eating food is important for staying focused and energized.”
DECA wouldn’t have been possible without Mrs. Dixon bringing the club to Seymour High School. Mrs. Dixon had been a DECA advisor for 14 years before arriving at Seymour High School. She started the club because “DECA is such a positive experience for students. Through participating in DECA, students learn so much about themselves and gain self-confidence, leadership skills, public speaking skills, and more. They also have networking opportunities during conferences and competitions to meet students and business people from other chapters, states, and countries.” They started the club this year with 13 members and found great success, but she wishes for it to be even more impactful for members and has started planning for August. If you wish to join, Mrs. Dixon wants you to know that “It’s fun! You will get the most out of the club by participating in competitions. Come to room 233 and chat with me or any member of this year’s officer team if you’re interested in joining DECA.”
