As DECA students at Camas High School (CHS) are preparing for the State Career Development Conference (SCDC) and International Career Development Conference (ICDC), two seniors have stepped into leadership roles, taking on numerous responsibilities to ensure a smooth experience for members. Lila Goldfarb and Aubrey Schultz are paving the way for the record-breaking DECA club through the upcoming competitions.
Goldfarb joined DECA in her freshman year with the hopes of improving her public-speaking skills. What began as just a Marketing 1 class quickly became a defining part of her high school experience. Goldfarb was elected president in her junior year, and she has since been working hard to uphold the reputation of the Camas DECA program.
During the All Paws on Deck (APOD) event, Camas community members were able to donate money to elect a dog as mayor. Camas DECA was able to raise over $14,000 for the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society. Goldfarb led many of the preparations for the APOD event, starting in early July.
“I fell in love with DECA at first sight. It was just like the perfect spot for me,” said Goldfarb. “I wasn’t really a confident person at first, but it really broke me out of my shell.”
Schultz also serves as a senior officer, contributing to a large part of the DECA fundraising. She has fronted the Coffee Project at Camas with her partner, junior Emily Jiang, where they raised over $12,000 this year. The project is meant to raise money directly for students who are trying to attend SCDC and ICDC
Shultz’s sales project earned her placement at ICDC last year, something few CHS students are able to accomplish. She is looking forward to competing in this year’s ICDC with her coffee project.
“My dear friend Emily and I have put in a lot of work,” Shultz said. “We have poured our hearts and souls into this paper, and I think we have a chance of going far. This is my last year, so I kind of want to go out with a bang, and I don’t want to disappoint my peers.”
Both Schultz and Goldfarb agree that the DECA program has had a positive impact on their lives, especially the real-world experience DECA offers.
“It’s about preparing yourself for the real world because you learn so many skills that you wouldn’t get anywhere else, like how to interview, and I think at ICDC, that’s exemplified,” Goldfarb said. “It’ll be my third year going to ICDC, and I’m not even going into business. I mean, I’m majoring in neuroscience. It’s like it doesn’t even apply to me, but there are just so many skills that I’ve learned from this.”
The president, vice-president, and DECA advisers all have high hopes for the upcoming SCDC and ICDC events, and have been encouraging participating students to prepare accordingly.
“For SCDC, we are bringing a new record, it’s 172 students, which I think is our highest ever, so with that in mind, I think we have a really strong group this year,” DECA advisor Brady Miletich said. “At ICDC, we’ll do really well, they’ll compete at a high level, and hopefully we have some fun while we’re doing it.”
