Emerson’s DECA chapter is only a few years old, but their accomplishments far surpass their brief history. Known for its entrepreneurial spirit and business-centered activities, DECA presents a series of competitions for members throughout the year. After competing at the district-level competition last month, 52 members participated in the DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC) from Feb. 19 through 21. Out of those 52, 15 members advanced to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC). Most significantly, Emerson’s chapter was announced as the Texas Chapter of the Year, bringing the prestigious title home to the Maverick community.

Winning Chapter of the Year, beyond the title itself, benefited the entire chapter in various ways. DECA co-president Ashima Nair, 12, highlights the impacts the success had.

“The Chapter of the Year [award] is a great way for us to get our name out,” Nair said. “We are still obviously a new chapter, established [in] 2021, so I think it’s great that … we were in [the] top 10 last year as well, but I think [winning] first place led to a lot of people [finding] out about us. [On] different servers online, people are starting to talk and read about Emerson.”

Winning the title was anything but effortless; earning Chapter of the Year demanded a series of collaborative, intentional work.

“For the Chapter of the Year, … we have to do different things, [including] community service and collaboration,” DECA co-president Fariha Shadiq, 12, said. “As a smaller school, we don’t know all this stuff immediately. So, we had to [start from] something smaller. Our club and Independence [High School] did a joint social [to] make the Texas chapter more interconnected. Doing things like that gives us Chapter of the Year points, and whoever has the most points gets Chapter of the Year.”

Winning the award was especially challenging for the Emerson chapter to tackle as compared to other high schools, given that it was a smaller and newer chapter.

“I really want to harp on the fact that we’re such a new chapter, but we’ve been growing so quickly,” Nair said. “There are chapters in Frisco [that] have been established much longer than us, and they have [fewer] people going to ICDC or have never won Chapter of the Year. As a new chapter, coming into the game with a strong force is really something that makes us unique.”

The officers were in disbelief when they were announced as the Chapter of the Year. Shadiq shares a memorable behind-the-scenes moment from the award ceremony.

“When Ashima went up … on stage, she started smiling a lot randomly,” Shadiq said. “I was like, ‘You look way too happy for someone who’s there for top three.’ I found out later [that] she could see [on] the teleprompter that we won. In my video, I’m shaking, and then I dropped my phone when we got it because we were not expecting it [at] all.”

With over 300 chapters across Texas, being selected was all the more impressive. What sets Emerson’s chapter apart, though, goes beyond the award. Shadiq reflects on their chapter’s standout character.

“We make more of an [effort] to really be connected with our chapters socially,” Shadiq said. “[As officers,] we really try to help the members, like we teach them how to do their competition events … and give them a bunch of resources. So, I think we’re a lot more interconnected in that way, and our advisor and our officers have a good relationship with the chapter.”

Beyond the award and multiple rounds of competitions, DECA attracts a lot of students across various fields, not just those seeking business paths.

“DECA is a great community to join. I don’t think you have to be interested in business to be in it,” Nair said. “It teaches you a lot of soft skills you can apply to a lot of different fields. [For instance,] it teaches you a lot of thinking on the spot and a lot of problem solving, especially [through] doing roleplay.”

Being a part of the DECA community from the start to the end of high school presents students and officers with unforgettable experiences.

“DECA was my biggest accomplishment,” Shadiq said. “[It is] something I’ve written about in a lot of my college applications, because I don’t think my application would be complete without it. I’m just really glad to have the opportunity to help so many members recognize their ability in a career.”

As co-presidents, Nair and Shadiq together motivated members and pushed the chapter to continue improving. Though they will graduate soon, Nair is confident that the future members will forge ahead.

“I’m so proud of our chapter,” Nair said. “I think we’ve done a great job this year, and I’m so excited to see what we have in store. I will be … keeping in touch with the officers after graduation, and I’m going to make sure that if they need help, I will come back. That’s how much I love our chapter.”

The next and final round of DECA will take place from April 25 to 28. Best of luck to the Mavericks who are advancing to ICDC!