Nashoba DECA is in full swing. In Ms. G and Mr. A’s business classes, students are preparing their DECA projects for competition. While DECA is a club built on large conferences and presentations, many changes have been made to keep students safe and to ensure that DECA still happens during this year. 

To start, all of the district conferences have been officially canceled and changed to virtual competitions. For students doing role plays, they will have an allotted time period where they can record and upload their presentation to YouTube and a judge will review it and score them. If you are doing a written event, which consists of a paper as well as a presentation, you will need to do the same and upload your paper and presentation. In Nashoba’s district, the top seven highest scoring competitors in their category will be allowed to compete on a state level. 

Similar to the district competition, the state conference will also be virtual. Instead of going to Boston to compete in a two day long conference, students will be competing virtually similar to the district conference. Students will also have access to workshops to better improve their networking and professionalism skills. 

While many conferences and in person events have been canceled, the International Career Development Conference has yet to be moved to virtual. ICDC is set to be held in Anaheim, CA where a select few of Nashoba DECA members will be able to attend. To attend this conference a member would have to score top five in their category at the state conference.

Finally, Nashoba DECA will also be participating in social events that will be happening throughout the year. Massachusetts DECA will have monthly social events such as “Among Us nights” where Nashoba DECA members can play the popular game Among Us with other students from around the state. In addition, Nashoba DECA members can also attend speed networking nights where members can meet other members from around the state and practice their networking skills. 

While this year has not been ideal for an organization like DECA, Nashoba DECA is prepared to dominate competition. Whether it is virtual or in person Nashoba DECA has always been a strong chapter within Massachusetts and will continue to be top in competition no matter the circumstances.