As the #DECAATTProject entered its seventh year, no one could have imagined the challenges the school year would present. Students who would typically be attending classes in-person had to adapt to following online curriculum and socializing through computer screens. Where some would see these challenges as impending obstacles, DECA members across the country sprang into action to really show us what it means to take DECA to the #NextLevel. Within the community, students banded together to advocate for social justice and created drive-up food events to serve those in need. Some students participated in virtual competitions for the first time and advanced to the international stage— breaking decades-long hiatuses. Mentorship also reached #NextLevel heights as members embraced DECA’s guiding principle of “connecting to the real world” by collaborating with AT&T employees to reinvent website designs for business units and pitch marketing ideas to corporate executives.
