BUSINESS CAREER SUCCESS CTE DECA Program Prepares Students for

By Dilan Patel CHS 12th grade student and intern for the CISD Communications and Community Engagement Department.

DECA is defined as a unit of measurement involving the number 10. For high schools across the world, DECA is the name of the international business organization for emerging leaders and entrepreneurs.

DECA students can compete at the district, state and international level, communicate them effectively and show off their creativity.

Whether it be a role play event, where students must take a 100 question exam and take part in a given scenario, or a written event where students can write up to 20 pages of required material and present, DECA is a Career and Technical Education or CTE program that allows its members to understand how the real world works and gain the soft skills needed to be successful in any career field.

During the 2021-2022 school year, DECA in CISD made district history school year, the first district president from CHS.

After district comes the state competition, which was held in Houston. Little did DECA students know that the February 2022 winter storm may jeopardize their ability to leave Coppell. With perseverance and improving weather on their side, CISD DECA was cleared to drive to Houston and compete. CISD DECA broke previous records set with more than 47 competitors qualifying for internationals and even more state finalists.

ICDC, otherwise known as the while engaging with students from around the world. Through specialization options in the clusters of marketing, hospitality and tourism, finance, and business management and administration, DECA allows students to gain experience with workplace scenarios and environments, using 21st century skills and entrepreneurship to come up with solutions quickly, with the highest number of students competing at all levels of competition compared to previous years. The journey to the internationals in Atlanta started with the district competition, where a large number of CISD DECA students advanced to the state level. Not only do students compete, but they also have an opportunity to lead regions or states of DECA, with senior Dilan Patel becoming District 11 President for the 2022-2023

International Career Development Conference, was held in Atlanta in April. Along with the competition, students participated in social events, tourist attractions, leadership conferences and more. At this highest level of competition, DECA came back home with four finalists, two of which were top 10 in their events, respectively, and multiple students recognized for their top scores.