On May 1st, Evelyn Detar (‘24) was named a top 10 finalist in Business Services Marketing at the 2024 Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) International Career Development Conference.
Evelyn is a 4-year varsity field hockey player, 2-year varsity captain, DECA Treasurer, Future Business Leaders of America Historian (FBLA), Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) volunteer and more.
DECA is an organization dedicated to furthering the experience of competing among students in order to form marketing, business, and leadership skills. The organization claims that the opportunities created give students an “unmistakable advantage” when it comes to applying for further education.
Evelyn advanced from Districts and States, tackled multiple 100-question marketing exams, and impressed judges with her business scenario solutions.
The conference hosted students from Canada, Puerto Rico, China, and the Dominican Republic, in addition to the United States.
Detar, reflecting on this huge achievement, talks about her journey getting to where she is now.
“I’ve competed for two years and I joined the club because I felt it would be a great way to enhance skills such as formal speaking, critical thinking, and applying knowledge from school in a more dynamic way,” Detar explained.
When asked about her favorite aspect of the club, Detar mentioned the preparation put into the competitions.
“I love the preparation it provides and the confidence it builds when it comes to advancing business concepts. The club truly brings together students with various interests, career plans, strengths, and provides a collaborative space to explore those passions with others,” she said.
In addition to this, Detar talks about what she feels has helped prepare her.
“Most of my preparation came naturally from the classes I take such as Strategic Marketing, Business Law, AP Macroeconomics, DE Statistics. I already had a really strong foundation of these concepts from my in-school education. That made it even more satisfying as I was able to converge my learning in different areas and use that to back my roleplays and perform very well on my tests,” Detar stated.
Although the preparation is her favorite part, the mental aspect seemed to be her biggest challenge.
“Competing against extremely intelligent and historically high performers from around the country and world was intimidating, but I knew I was just as well equipped. I had to make sure I went into every roleplay confident, poised, and composed,” she said.
Maintaining this mindset, Evelyn explains her thought process while competing.
“I just felt elevated in a way. I was performing to very successful people so it was all about having the confidence to raise myself to their level and communicate clearly,” she explained.
Not only has this accomplishment earned her bragging rights, but also provided her with many opportunities outside of DECA.
“I did a ton of networking at these events and in future interviews for internships or other opportunities it provides a great talking point of how I’ve not only done well in an academic environment, but successfully applied my education to real life scenarios. Employers want to see that you have a well rounded skill set. DECA improves your professional speaking skills to effectively communicate with these employers as well,” Detar said.
While Evelyn is continuing on to spend her next four years at Purdue University studying Quantitative Economics and Data Analytics, she offers this advice for any other students who are contemplating joining DECA.
“Join and see what happens. Don’t be afraid to experiment in different areas and if you aren’t the best public speaker that should not deter you, but motivate you towards this opportunity to build your skills and track your growth,” Detar concluded.
