Editor’s note: Earlier, we had falsely indicated that Sam Cassidy and Greg Zoll had qualified for nationals. We have since corrected this error. 

Olivia Wang had always been eager to learn about business. Since she was unable to take a business class at PV, she decided to join the DECA club. This year, she is part of a team that ranked in the top ten of its international competition.

PV first established the international organization, Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), as a new club last year after it was introduced to the district by Pascack Hills. DECA is a business and marketing club that consists of a series of competitive events and categories, which are selected based on the students’ interests. Students have the option to choose a written or presentational approach.

The categories include: accounting, food marketing, hotel hospitality and management, restaurant and food service management, business operations, sports and entertainment marketing, and entrepreneurship.

In the competition, each student is allowed ten minutes to prepare for a presentation before they must pitch their idea to a panel of judges.

“DECA definitely gave me exposure to business topics I previously knew nothing about,” Wang said. “Even more so, it taught me how important it is to be confident and to present yourself professionally in the business world.”

Eva Rosini and Wang, both PV seniors, recently went to DECA’s international competition in Anaheim, California where 10,000 students competed worldwide. They finished in the top ten in the Travel and Tourism category out of 200 teams.

Earlier this year, 96 PV students competed in the regional competition, where 30 qualified for the state competition in Atlantic City. Nicole Beckemeyer and Mary Kate Viceconte also qualified for nationals after placing highly enough in the state competition.

The club advisors, Mr. Jonathan Rose and Mr. Matthew Schulien, chose senior Isabella Muggeo as president of DECA this year.

“We wanted to look for students that were diligent enough, organized, and Isabella was the student that truly was the best bet for the first president of DECA,” Schulien said.

The club normally meets once or twice every month during the school year, with more frequent meetings as each competition approaches. They work with fairly open and collaborative schedules.

According to Schulien, this club is an outlet to help students prepare a presentation in a professional manner, gain confidence in public speaking, and enhance their social skills. DECA teaches students how to deal with and work through uncomfortable and high-pressure situations, such as speaking in front of judges.