Among the plethora of clubs at Carolina Forest High School, there are many that often go unnoticed. Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), is one of the many. It is always good to be involved in school, and DECA is a great place to do so. If students are interested in building community, learning public speaking skills, and developing your resume, DECA is a great opportunity.
DECA has over 300,000 global members. The club prepares high schoolers for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. Through events like competitions and real-world applications of leadership skills, DECA instills great qualities in students.At CFHS, there are 39 student members and four advisors. The advisors are Jennifer Greeson, Veronica Lawrence, James West, and Jack Laravie.
DECA can be categorized as community service and competition. In the community, DECA hosts events like beach sweeps and fundraisers.
For competitions, the competitive members can compete in up to three competitions per year. In November, a regional is held at Socastee High School and one later on in February in Charleston. The final competition is an international one held at a different location every year. This year, the international competition will be in Atlanta, Georgia on April 24-28, 2026. Every year DECA has about 20 competitors and last year two students qualified and went to the international competition.
Junior Amirah Gordy, vice president in marketing, has been involved with DECA for two years. Through her experience with the club, she has first hand experience of how the club can help students through participation.
Gordy feels it is very important to be involved with everything DECA stands for, believing that “the more you do, the more you get out of it.”
This year, DECA has competed in just one regional competition with many students heading to states early next year in February, 2026. Nathaniel Angulo, Bisma Bajwa, Bailey Bonura, Macey Cabesas, Valeria Diaz, Amirah Gordy, Gor Heboyan, Noah Nassar, Keely Nugent, Suniya Parmley, Corinne Remer, and Jessica Vundavalli all qualified for states.
The students compete in knowledge based competitions where they study in advance to prepare. Questions include subjects like problem-solving scenarios and long-form presentations.
Gor Heboyan, a junior, has had a fantastic experience in DECA. He feels as though he has improved greatly when compared to his performance in the club last year.
“I think I’ve become more social since being in DECA. I’ve met some amazing people who are like-minded, and I think many, if not all of our members are being set up on the right path through our DECA chapter.”
DECA is a great opportunity for students to get involved in extracurricular activities, building skills that many colleges and workplaces look for. If a student is interested in becoming more involved in their school and community, DECA is a great organization.
Image Credits: CFHS DECA
