The Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s (BRHS) Distributive Education Club of America (DECA )sponsored  its inaugural meeting on September 17, the start to a new and promising club.

The DECA club provides practical education, and, most importantly, competitive events for students in fields such as marketing, business management, finance, tourism and much more.

At the meeting itself, the officers—juniors Andrew Zagula, Neel Wakde and Manas Gumedelli—gave an overview of the club and its events to their massive audience. The meeting had around fifty students in attendance, with the majority being underclassmen. They also introduced future positions such as webmaster, secretary, outreach coordinator and the fundraising team.

DECA’s officers provided a joint statement on the club’s purpose.

“[Our club] provides real-world experiences through hands-on activities such as role-play events… DECA events are exciting experiences where students can have fun with their friends, as well as network with other students who share the same interests,” they said.

Looking at the organization’s website, competitors advance through the regional and state level conferences before finally attending the International Career Development Conference.

In reference to the club’s future, which had previously been in doubt due to a separate failed attempt to start a chapter last year, sophomore Aayush Dhar held optimism.

“I could see the enthusiasm about DECA, not just through the officers, but through the members… [they] should hold workshops in order to help members prepare for their competitions [like other business-related BRHS clubs,” he said.

Sophomore Gayatri Krishnan reflected on the club’s promise.

“[It seems like a] great opportunity for people interested in business,” she said.

Bridgewater’s newly-formed DECA chapter appears to have the potential to truly grow and become a BRHS mainstay, providing members with robust competition and networking opportunities.