Every eye is focused on you. You speak confidently and your voice carries over to the crowd of people inspecting the presentation you’d worked on for months. Loud applause rings into the otherwise silent room and you smile in triumph.
DECA’s Silicon Valley District Conference was a success for Carlmont’s Business Club. Students Skylar Campbell, Lily Gittoes, Albert Li, and Selena Sun placed in the top three for their category in San Francisco this month.
“I had such a great time spending the weekend with everyone and meeting people from other chapters too. It feels more like a real world experience than anything in school does,” sophomore Skylar Campbell said.
Business Club gives students opportunities and real-world experience in business through workshops, fundraisers, and competitions. Members of Business Club also collaborate with other chapters of DECA to host training events, during which they make connections and meet new people.
“The club is all about giving people business experiences that they wouldn’t normally have in high school so that they’re prepared (and excited!) about business in college and beyond,” Club President Selena Sun, a junior, said.
Business Club meets every Wednesday at lunch in D3. Oftentimes, members meet after school on Wednesdays to work on their presentations. However, leading up to the conference, the club met more frequently for longer periods of time to finalize the projects they would present. Members of Business Club spent time doing practice presentations, reviewing reports, and putting the final touches on their projects.
“It’s work but it’s so rewarding especially when you hear your name getting called for the awards,” Campbell said.
This semester, Business Club will be preparing for a state-wide career development conference in Anaheim, presenting on subjects such as finance, business management and administration, and marketing. They’re also going to work on resume development and various other projects.
“We are going to start preparing for a summer camp that we are putting together,” Vice President Lily Gittoes, a junior said.
Business Club does more than give students experience in business and introduce them to new people.
“Being involved in DECA gives you a great leg up for college and really any job you’ll ever have,” Campbell said.
