When students take an exam to become... leaders

The DECA competition helps students develop leadership and business skills. With over 20,000 participants, it offers opportunities for learning and growth.

An activity from the DECA 2025 competition in Texas, USA - Photo: PQVINH

Upon hearing that my eldest daughter, a high school student at Westlake Academy, would be participating in the DECA competition for District 12 with her friends—competing with over 20,000 students from major cities in the Arlington-Fort Worth-Irish cluster (Texas)—I became curious and looked into this interesting competition.

And to support my child, I decided to register as a judge for this competition.

When the official invitation, after being approved, arrived via email, I realized that I would be evaluating students' role-playing entries – a competition where contestants had to develop business solutions in a short time based on real-life scenarios provided by the organizers. This also marked the beginning of my journey to learn about DECA.

"Headhunting" starts early and starts from afar.

DECA is an international non-profit educational organization established for high school students, university students, and young professionals to develop leadership, business, and management skills in fields such as marketing, finance, administration, hospitality, and entrepreneurship.

DECA's goal is to prepare young students to become successful leaders and entrepreneurs in these fields. Through preparing for the competition, young people will develop skills such as critical thinking, communication skills, creative problem-solving, and a professional work ethic.

DECA's original full name was Distributive Education Clubs of America. However, the organization now uses the name DECA to reflect its broader scope of services. DECA operates in over 3,200 schools across all 50 US states and in countries such as Canada, China, Germany, Poland, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Spain.

The competition also offers scholarships from major partners such as Marriott, AT&T, and many other businesses, and it will also be an opportunity for businesses to "headhunt" young business leaders while they are still in high school.

DECA is further divided into different levels: "High School Division" for high school students (grades 9-12), "Collegiate Division" for university and college students, "Professional Division" for former members or those interested in supporting DECA, and "Alumni Division" connecting former DECA members.

The DECA competition is like an academic marketplace.

Arriving very early to familiarize myself with the professional exam atmosphere, surrounded by hundreds of students dressed in neat suits, confident and full of energy, I also felt like I was reliving the time when I took my own university entrance exams.

My daughter and her friends from the DECA club will be representing the school and competing against approximately 20,000 other contestants statewide, hoping to secure a spot in the state round and then the finals in Orlando, Florida, at the end of April.

The exam began, and the groups of candidates confidently walked to their respective desks. The most exciting part was when the complete silence of the auditorium was broken by the bell signaling the start of the exam.

It all turned into a veritable academic marketplace as all the contestants began showcasing themselves, while the judges exchanged amused glances at the sudden shift in atmosphere.

For the individual competition, each participant's unique qualities were clearly demonstrated. DECA facilitated the contestants by providing scenarios commonly related to the business activities they have experienced or are currently involved in.

What the judges are testing in this section is the candidates' thorough understanding of their business decisions.

The team competition is much more team-oriented and challenging. Each team will need two people, and each person will be required to complete a 100-question multiple-choice test, similar to the individual competition.

Afterward, the teams will also receive a business case study related to the field they have registered for, from which they will make their own business strategy decisions. This is the most important difference between the individual and team competitions.

As each team began their presentation, I was amazed by their thorough preparation. Despite having only 10 minutes to think and plan their marketing strategy for the topic given by the organizers, each team displayed confidence and quick thinking skills.

Some teams impressed with their innovative approaches, while others demonstrated practical thinking and effective problem-solving skills. However, a few teams, being first-time participants, were still poorly prepared and their answers were not focused on the core problem-solving, but these were only a minority.

Speaking to me about the benefits of the DECA competition, Robin, a member of the organizing committee, said: "DECA is a competition to develop practical skills, helping students apply theory to practice through exercises. In addition, it will help students connect with experts and businesses, improving their competitiveness in academics and the job market."

DECA is not just a competition, but also a practical training environment that helps students develop important skills for the future, especially self-confidence, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.

In 2017, "child prodigy" Do Nhat Nam brilliantly won third place in the individual DECA competition at the Pennsylvania state level in the "Principles of Business Management" category. This competition attracted 4,500 participants.

DECA is starting to gain popularity in Vietnam.

In Vietnam, several high schools in major cities have established DECA clubs, such as Hanoi Amsterdam DECA ( Hanoi ) and PTNK DECA (High School for the Gifted - Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), achieving considerable success. Particularly in the "Vietnam DECA 2024 Saigon Fall Competition," PTNK DECA delivered an outstanding performance, surpassing nearly 140 other contestants to win first place among 9 participating schools.

Read more Back to the Home page

PHAN QUOC VINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khi-hoc-sinh-thi-lam-lanh-dao-20250413223319493.htm