DECA revived by trio of juniors

From being scheduled to meet twice a week to never formally meeting during the school year at all, the school’s DECA club sputtered last year and was rescinded by ASB during second semester.

Even so, three students are determined to turn the club around and push it to its full potential this year.

Led by juniors Nidhi Jain, Naman Sajwan and Saya Sivaram, the re-established DECA club plans to actively provide its members with experiences that will help them prepare for future business opportunities.

In recent years, DECA had been near inactive due to poor leadership that “never did anything,” Sivaram said. Other problems that contributed  to the club’s demise were the lack of commitment from members and the departure of the club’s adviser, former history teacher Jim Chin, from SHS.

At the end of last June, after the club’s president had graduated, Jain, Sajwan and Sivaram began crafting an approach to lead and rescue the dying club. But they weren’t alone in their aspirations: Other students had also set their eyes on heading the club, and the trio’s previous membership did not guarantee them leadership positions.

“The three of us really had to be on top of it to make sure that we got everything done first. It was a race,” Sivaram said.

Though they had to compete with other students, the three believe they were best equipped to bring back the club.

“We [were] not trying to stage a coup and take a club away from the people,” Sajwan said. “We have done significant research over the summer on every event, and we felt that we were prepared to take on the task of leading Saratoga DECA.”

Since earning leadership positions in the club, the three have begun to recruit new members. Officer applications were posted on Facebook, and around 35 students applied for four different positions. After conducting interviews with each candidate at Starbucks, Jain, Sajwan and Sivaram appointed junior Arjun Mishra as vice president (VP) of finances, junior William Hu as VP of competitions, sophomore Mervi Tan as VP of public relations and junior Meghana Kaza as club meeting administrator.

The co-presidents have also reached out to other schools with prominent DECA clubs such as Harker, Lynbrook and Monta Vista to shadow their clubs and figure out how to make their own club just as successful.

One aspect of the club that the co-presidents hope to promote are the conferences. Unlike the contests for clubs like Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), DECA conferences include various events to assess students rather than relying solely on written tests.

In these conferences, students from the area participate in simulations based on running businesses, speaking at interviews and understanding the stock market. DECA also allows students to study specific careers, such as sports team management or art gallery hospitality, Sivaram said.

“You can really target it to what you’re interested in and get an education surrounded by things that really fascinate you,” Sivaram said.

Developing connections is also a focus of the conferences.

“I know people who have become best friends simply through DECA,” Jain said.

Besides preparing their members for upcoming conferences, the co-presidents plan to invite guest speakers to discuss their experiences at club meetings. These speakers will range from SHS alumni with business experience to small business owners from downtown Saratoga.

“It’s good to get someone who you can relate to — alumni, siblings, people from Saratoga downtown,” Sajwan said. “They are great people to promote entrepreneurship.”

While club leaders expect their members to work hard and take full advantage of DECA’s resources, they also hope to establish a welcoming, pressure-free atmosphere.

“DECA is a fun thing if it is done right,” Sivaram said. “We don’t want people coming to meetings to be stressed about it or anything. We just want everyone to have a good time doing DECA like it is something they are truly invested in.”