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From Practice to Podium: Setting Meaningful Goals for Competition
In the midst of competition season, preparation and goal setting become more important than ever. While competition day may feel like it’s all about performance, success at CDC is built long before you step into your event.
Case Study of the Week: Limited Time Only or Always?
Step into the role of the director of marketing at Fitness Time, a chain of over 2,000 fitness centers. The senior vice president wants you to analyze claims that the company is acting unethically by marketing misleading information and recommend if changes are needed.
ICYMI: DECA + College Board: AP Business with Personal Finance Webinar
Learn how the new AP Business with Personal Finance course aligns with DECA’s mission and supports student development both in and out of the classroom, and hear from DECA advisors who are currently piloting project-based learning resources for the course.
Congratulations to the 2025-26 Adobe Food Truck Challenge Winners
Adobe and DECA are thrilled to announce the winners of the Adobe Food Truck Challenge!
Things to Do in Atlanta Before ICDC Begins
Before the excitement of DECA ICDC officially kicks off Saturday night, make the most of your time by exploring one or more of the unforgettable experiences in the city of Atlanta.
Work with Your Partner – Work with Success
In a Team Decision Making event, you must have complete reliance on your partner. Here are some tips and tricks from a Freshman who qualified for ICDC with her best friend.
Denied, But Not Defined: Overcoming College Rejections
As graduation approaches, many students find themselves anxious about what’s next, especially when a college rejection arrives. But rejection isn’t the end of the story; it is the start of a new direction.
Black History Month: Celebrating Black Professionals Who Are Changing The Scene
In honor of Black History Month, we are taking this opportunity to highlight Black professionals who are currently changing the business landscape and working toward a diverse and inclusive space.
Apply for the 2026 J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation Travel Scholarships
Through a generous contribution from the J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott Foundation, DECA is able to provide $750 travel scholarships to high school DECA members attending DECA ICDC.
Case Study of the Week: Resort Day Passes
Step into the role of the director of sales and marketing for Dew Point Resort and Conference Center, a large resort located in a popular tourist town.
Congratulations to DECA's 2026 Certified School-based Enterprises
Congratulations to the DECA School-based Enterprises that earned a 2025-26 Chapter Certification!
Dress for Confidence, Not Just the Dress Code
“Dress for success" is advice we hear everywhere. But too often, it gets reduced to a simple checklist: blazer, slacks, closed-toe shoes. The way clothing makes us feel is often overlooked, which can affect how we perform.
Video Call Tips and Tricks
Practically overnight, video calls have become a new societal norm. This guide will provide you with a few tips and useful tricks to help improve your online learning or telecommuting experience.
A Quick Guide to Understanding Servant Leadership
The concept of leadership has been around since the days of Aristotle and Plato and has evolved countless times throughout the centuries. But in 1970, a new theory emerged. Developed by Robert Greenleaf, servant leadership is the idea that empowered leaders serve their followers and to enable them to live and work to their full potential.
The Ethics of Leadership
Ethical leaders exist in all walks of life. They are the individuals who step forward when crises occur, come to the rescue of others and generally do what's right—no matter what. Anyone can talk the talk, but can they walk the walk? In today's high-visibility, social world, more people are taking note of leaders’ behavior and holding them accountable.
DECA Direct Magazine: Next Level Leadership
A new school year brings new chances to elevate your leadership to the next level. Discover fresh ideas to enhance your chapter and become a leader worth following in your school, community and beyond.
The Next Level is Inclusion
It has never been more important for emerging leaders to be characterized by teamwork, innovation, competency and integrity. Fortunately, those are the valued characteristics of DECA’s student leaders. What if this moment needs you and the unique values that drive your leadership?
Top Tips for Socially-distant Membership Recruitment
Building your chapter’s membership is one of the most important ways to set it up for success in the new school year. But what are the best ways to recruit within the “new normal” of more virtual interactions and less in-person activities? Learn how to recruit new members the socially-distant way with these top tips.
The Power of the Diamond
Throughout your DECA career, you’ll wear the blazer, throw up a DECA diamond symbol and add lots of blue to your wardrobe. You will also undoubtedly hear DECA’s core values and mission statement more times than you can count. But have you ever stopped to think about what they really mean?
Cultivate Your Chapter’s Culture
2020 is a year that has changed all of our lives. If your DECA chapter has experienced a decline in recent months, struggling to cope with virtual meetings and maintain engagement, your chapter culture may need a boost.
Discover Your DECA Leadership Style
There are hundreds of assessments to help you pinpoint your leadership traits, but the only one you need to take your leadership to the next level is the DECA Leadership Style Quiz.
Influence with Informal Leadership
While you may not have an official leadership title, you still have the ability to help take your chapter to the #NextLevel with your informal leadership influence. Read on to learn more about informal leadership and how you can use it to make this year a success for you and your chapter.
DECA Members Raise $7,000 Through the MDA Muscle Corp Program
DECA members raised over $7,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) this summer through the pilot MDA Muscle Corp Program. Twenty-one DECA members successfully completed the program and earned 40 hours of community service.
Mountain View High School Virtual Recruitment
Like for many chapters, this year’s DECA kickoff meeting was unique for Mountain View High School in Georgia. Even though the meeting was held through Zoom, the chapter still found a way to make it one of their best meetings yet.
