While Skyline has a lot of clubs, sports, and other extracurricular activities, one thing is for sure: DECA has taken Skyline by storm. The business and marketing club has been around for nine years and, with the help of its senior leaders, has grown immensely.
“When I started in 2015 we had 40 members. We now have 150,” said DECA advisor and business teacher, Robert Shannon. 150 members represents about 10% of the entire school, making DECA one of Skyline’s biggest clubs.
DECA is a national organization with chapters in over 2,000 high schools. DECA aims at teaching business, economic, marketing, and management fundamentals to students at the high school level. Students first choose to compete in a career cluster: finance, marketing, management, entrepreneurship, and hospitality.
From there they decide whether they would like to present a project, present a paper, or engage in a blind role-play simulation. Students also have the choice of competing solo or with a partner. Students may have the opportunity to compete in multiple levels of competitions including districts, states, and internationals.
This year, the leaders had a stronger presence with running the club. “The board was really able to effectively lead the club,”said Co-President Ezra Min (‘24). Min joined the club his sophomore year.
This year, members were able to have more say in DECA’s activities and impact. The club has increased its reach into the nearby community through a recent project with Peace Neighborhood Center. “DECA students fundraised over $2,700 to buy presents for families in need,” said Min. 15 DECA students passed out the presents to the families over winter break.
Additionally, the club has also impacted the business magnet. “I know that for the current and upcoming 10th graders, the magnet has been filled,” said Co-president, Lilly Shannon. The leaders have encouraged their members to participate in even more business opportunities beyond DECA.
Not only does DECA allow students to get a taste of business and its role in society, it also sets them up for the future. “I have learned the importance of creativity and confidence, as well as learning how to work as a team with others,” said Vice-president of Marketing Cassie Gonzales (‘24).
DECA provides an outlet to succeed in competitions regardless of how long you’ve been in the club. “I have only been a part of DECA since my junior year, but since then I have advanced to the international competition twice, both years,” said Gonzales.
These competitions provide a chance for students to go on trips that not only include competing but also a bit of fun. “There’s super cool opportunities to visit like Universal, Disneyland, and Disneyworld,” said Gonzales.
Now, as the year comes to an end, the leaders are deciding on the direction of the club’s future. “Our goals for next year are to restructure,” said Min. Even with the current executive board leaving, they have made sure that the club is in good hands. The leaders have recently chosen the new board members, including: Ronak Ailawadi (‘25), Connor Rzeszut (‘26), Liana Zhou (‘25), Reilly Eidelman (‘25), Arjun Alva (‘25), and Stephanie Wang (‘25).
“We plan to continue to recruit members while increasing our competitive event prep,” said Ajan Arora, VP of Career Development for the 24- 25 season. “We hope that members will continue to work hard on projects and roleplay prep; we’ll help them every step of the way.”
