My DECA Experience

In the past few weeks, I have had the honor to participate in two DECA conferences, Colorado’s Fall Leadership Conference and a District Competition Preparation. At the Fall Leadership Conference, held on my college campus, I was asked to speak at the opening and closing ceremonies, facilitate a workshop on competition, and greet the advisors. My favorite part of the day was sharing my experiences with DECA members, advisors, and my school’s administration. The experiences that I shared proved that student organization make a difference in our education and ultimately our career path. The most rewarding experience during this day was seeing my fellow Delta Epsilon Chi members facilitate teambuilding activities with the state and district officer teams. Through our member’s excitement and leadership ability, high school DECA members were inquiring about continuing their involvement in college. Witnessing the connection being established between the high school and college division brought a huge smile to my face. I know that not everyone in Delta Epsilon Chi was involved in DECA or with national student organizations while in high school. However both the high school and college division have the same goal… to develop and enhance tomorrow’s leaders. Each of us reaching out to our local high school DECA community will create a strong relationship between the two divisions. Weather it be to help at conferences, mentoring a marketing class, preparing members for competition, or simply showing them about college choices, we are making a difference in the lives of students, advisors, and ultimately impacting our organization.

-Jamie

The enthusiasm rises again...

So, I’m not sure how many of you know that after graduating from high school and before starting college, I spent a whole year traveling around the world with an international community service organization called Up With People. It was a year like no other in terms of the experiences that I had and learned from, and the impact they made then, and continue to make now, on my life. Over the summer I attended my 10-year reunion and reconnected with Up With People alumni from my group and other Up With People alumni from many other years (there were people celebrating their 40th anniversary!). Just this past week I received the commemorative DVD from the reunion and popped it into my player. It was like doing it all again – I laughed, I cried, I jumped up and danced along with my group (and myself) and sang along with so much enthusiasm (and volume) that I’m sure my neighbors were cringing at my lack of vocal skill.
(oh yeah – Up With People is a community service and performing group – forgot to mention that part. Check it out: http://www.upwithpeople.org/)
Before the video was done I found myself jumping to my feet and exclaiming, “How do I get involved again?” And it was right at that moment that I realized which other organization played such an important and life-shaping role in my life – Delta Epsilon Chi. And so I asked another question, “How do I get today’s members as excited as I am right now about the experiences available to them through Delta Epsilon Chi?” and, “How do I find alumni to be as supportive of the organization, as supportive as I want to be for Up With People?”

For me, the true value of my time in Up With People and my time here with Delta Epsilon Chi has been both the ideology of the organizations who’s missions ring true to my heart and mind, and the community of people associated with each organization. But in both groups I learned one very important lesson, I had to put work, effort, time and energy IN to the organization – only then I was able to get so much OUT.

So I pose these questions to you – members and advisors:

1. How do we get YOU excited and able to participate in all the experiences and programs available to you as members?

2. How do we get our ALUMNI excited and ready to support Delta Epsilon Chi members and advisors?

3. What have YOU put into the organization recently and what do YOU want to get back out of it?

I’m curious to hear your thoughts! Comment here on our blog or email me!

-Kyle

The Real Rewards

Seeing new chapters start is one of the most rewarding things about my position as the North Atlantic Region Vice President. We work with existing chapters and their day to day activities all the time, and seeing them take their chapters to higher levels is rewarding as well, but seeing a brand new chapter up and running is one of the greatest feelings.
I traveled to the University of New Haven, who recently started a chapter, during Delta Epsilon Chi week. I met with their current president and the executive board. They all have an extreme dedication to not only the organization, but to each other. They have gone through all of the somewhat tedious steps, the paperwork, the gathering of members, community service and fundraising. They work together to make the organization functional, but they inspire the members to believe in it.
When the members started piling into the room, I was surprised at how many of them had not participated in DECA in high school and were sold on the organization when they were approached by the president and the other members of the executive board. They wanted to know more about what they could do to better their chapter, what they had to do to be the best, and what they could do to help the organization as a whole. I gave them all of the information I could and then I asked them what ideas they had come up with for fundraising and community service. They came up with fashion shows, mini golf, bracelets to help support an injured student, and so many other creative ideas. After the meeting, I expressed how proud and amazed I was with everything they had done. They seemed to be surprised by what I said because they saw it as an ordinary way of life.
This common theme of people going above and beyond because they wouldn’t think about doing it differently, is something that I see all the time in this position. I truly believe that this is the reason people, especially myself, are attracted to Delta Epsilon Chi. Is there someone in your chapter that truly leads by example and amazes you every day? Nominate them for one of the many awards that Delta Epsilon Chi has to offer at http://www.deltaepsilonchi.org/student_awards.html.
Are you one of the people who go above and beyond? You should consider running for a NATIONAL OFFICE! Contact any of your national officers for information on not only the process on running, but about what it truly entails.

Click Here for the New Membership Promo Film!!!

I remember summer nights of playing hide-and-go-seek with all the neighborhood children. I remember they were looking for me and I was hiding or vice versa. This is a lot like being a member of Delta Epsilon Chi… we are always trying to find additional people to join the organization but sometimes they are hiding. In the early years of life I became clever and used a flashlight to seek out the children that I could not find and it served as a great tool. Today, as in the hide-and-go-seek of yesteryear, we have tools that are made available to help us to spot the individuals that should and could be great members of Delta Epsilon Chi. This promo Film is just one of the many tools that will help us Make our Mark on this great year. Please use this video and let us know how you used it. We will then share that information with other students that are trying to find effective ways to market Delta Epsilon Chi at their local chapters.

Opportunities are readily available to all students of Delta Epsilon Chi because of all the amazing companies that are participating as our business partners. I have to admit I had a somewhat bias opinion in regards to what our sponsors had to offer students, especially one company in particular, Valpak. I totally thought they would hire people to be managers over a team of envelope packers or something like that. I was sorely mistaken and was able to gain a great understanding of what they truly offer to the members of Delta Epsilon Chi by visiting them just a couple of weeks ago in St. Petersburg, Florida.
It was an amazing trip and one that I will never forget, now let me tell you how it all happened. I was able to talk with Mark Liston, the Valpak representative to Delta Epsilon Chi during a conference in Anaheim, California. As we visited we talked about the importance of helping students to understand and to know what the National Advisory Board’s companies offer to students and understand that they are truly here to help us to have success in our schooling, competition, and future careers. I was then invited to visit Mark Liston and Valpak for a two-day trip to Florida to gain a better understanding of what careers they had available and how Delta Epsilon Chi students could succeed with Valpak. It was an eye opening two day adventure, I learned that they are using so much green technology, they are giving back to the community all the time as they work with Habitat for Humanity. I also learned that they are hiring students to participate in a highly competitive, high volume sales force that offers great compensation, and super benefits. Overall it was amazing. I encourage any seniors that are participating in Delta Epsilon Chi that like the sound of working with great people, great product, and for a great outcome, to contact me at steve_president@deltaepsilonchi.org and I would love to give you additional information.

Opportunities for internships, part-time (in school) employment and full-time career starting positions are available with many of our National Advisory Board partners. Visit our website at: http://www.deca.org/nab_index.html to learn more about our corporate partners and their hiring practices.

TAKE ACTION... Make your Mark

As a team we have collaborated on a program of work through an amazing training experience, and began taking action to complete these goals. As the school year started and I begin to consider what we have already accomplished in the past few months and what experiences that, are unknown to us, lie ahead; I start to feel the anxiety build. What will be accomplished by the end of the membership year? Will the members realize endless possibilities? How can I make a difference? These are just a few questions that have been plaguing my thoughts and sometimes my dreams.

In effort to relieve my anxiety I reached out to my support system for guidance. One of my close friends, whom I often consider my mentor, told me this, “If you keep worrying about the end of the year and what you will achieve then before you know it the end of the year will be here and you will be wishing you could have that time back.” What I also learned from that conversation is that we are the only thing that stands between where we are now and our accomplishments.

This poster reminds us that to go the extra mile we must remember that what lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. It doesn’t matter what has happened or what will happen… what matters is what we are doing now, at this very moment. If you’ve taken the proper steps to make the plan, have faith in yourself, and make it happen. The goals are on paper, the vision is outlined; now it’s time to take action and make the program of work a reality.

Until next time,

Jamie