BUSINESS EDUCATION
COLLEGIATE DECA CHAPTER PREPARES MEMBERS
40
FOR SUCCESS IN THE BUSINESS WORLD
BY DR. TRISHA MAITLAND AND KATIE MULDOON
TCBusiness.com
MOLLY BARTELS
DECA students at Indian River State College brought home many awards during the 2019-20 academic year. Congratulating students after a recent competition
is college president Dr. Ed Massey, center, with, from left, Maika Eugene, Arturo Ortiz, Katie Muldoon, Jacqueline Zamora and Jane Kramer. Dr. Trisha Maitland,
right, is the DECA chapter advisor.
Collegiate DECA is an internationally
recognized organization that prepares
students for careers in business. The Collegiate
DECA Chapter of Indian River State
College is heavily involved in the community.
Participation in community projects
provides an opportunity for members to
develop a better understanding of the role
civic activities have in society.
The IRSC chapter also has close ties
with the local business community,
which provides opportunities for student
networking and professional growth.
DECA is dedicated to developing those
specialized skills needed to be successful
in the workplace and those that add
value to a business. Members are noted for
being more involved in campus activities,
community outreach and tend to graduate
with a higher GPA than that of a less
involved student. Alumni have gone on to
work with well-known companies across
the nation.
Katie Muldoon, DECA chapter president
states:
“Being a DECA member is an impactful
opportunity that every student can
benefit from. The value gained through
the leadership training and mentorship
programs are truly life changing. Through
my experiences in DECA, I was graced
with opportunities to travel the world and
make connections abroad that I’ll cherish
forever. Being a member is about putting
forth the effort to make a difference in
someone’s life.
“I have been able to call myself a student
leader and advocate for three years
now. The guidance and professional development
I have gained through my years
in this organization has not only made me
an internationally recognized finalist in
the travel and tourism industry, but also
assisted me with developing my brand
and prepared me for a career in marketing.
I recently was hired by the Florida Small
Business Development Center at IRSC as
its full-time marketing specialist and I owe
it all to DECA.”
One major factor of being a DECA
member is the opportunity to travel the
nation to compete with other like minded
students. Competitions encourage students
to apply their business skills through
telemarketing, business-to-business sales
and event planning.
Competitions are an opportunity for
students to apply what they learned in the
classroom, to a complex real-world scenario
via a case study, provided by DECA.
The real-world scenarios are created by industry
professionals. Students work either
individually, or in small teams, to resolve a >>
/TCBusiness.com