Confidence and Teamwork: Madeira DECA's First Competition

This spring, Madeira's DECA club chapter attended the State Leadership Conference in Virginia Beach. This conference allows students to create in-depth business proposals, present their ideas to venture capitalists, and network with other students interested in business while practicing communication, leadership, and public speaking skills. Madeira received the Fortune 500 Award Trophy for the Annual Report. For this event, students created a document outlining the mission, achievements, and future goals of the Madeira DECA Chapter.  

Additionally, Varsha Ayala ‘27, and Eesha Viswanathan ‘27 competed in the International Business Plan event and finished in the top 7 out of over 35 teams. They are moving on to the next round and have qualified to represent Madeira at the International Career & Development Conference in Orlando, FL. 

We had a chance to chat with three members of the DECA team as they reflected on the team’s first competition.

Please briefly introduce yourselves.

VA: Hi, I’m Varsha Ayala. I am a sophomore Day student, Class of 2027, from Great Falls, VA, and this is my second year at Madeira. I participate in many extracurriculars, including dance, art, violin, DECA, SASA, Spanish Club, Debate Club, Girl Scouts, Model UN (MUN), as well do a lot of community service. I co-founded a non-profit organization, Nexus2Ed, which helps underrepresented students gain access to higher education resources.

KK: I’m Karina Khanna, a Day student from the Class of 2027 and this is my second year at Madeira. I participate in DECA, tennis, dance, and piano.

AAL: My name is An An. I’m a sophomore Boarder and I've been at Madeira for one year. My extracurriculars include MUN, DECA, Track and Field, and Dance, as well as a few co-head positions outside of Madeira.

How did you become interested in DECA? What made you want to form a team here at Madeira?

VA: I have been participating in competitions that involve a lot of creative thinking and public speaking skills since first grade. Last year, I participated in the TYE (The Young Entrepreneurs) business competition, which taught me a lot about the ins and outs of running a business, like creating in-depth financials, business canvas models, product prototypes, and experience of pitching business ideas to investors. I met a lot of other students here from different schools in the DMV, and I know many of them competed in the DECA competition, which is where I first learned about the organization. I got to learn more through research and hearing about experiences from friends. I wanted to form a DECA club at Madeira because I heard a lot of students were interested in topics like finance, business, and entrepreneurship, and it was something [fellow DECA member] Eesha [Viswanathan ‘27] and I had been thinking of since January of last year.

AAL: My vision for the future has always been towards business development and entrepreneurship. Therefore, when I saw DECA at the club fair and got to know more about the club, I immediately knew that this is the club for me. And it got even better when I got to meet my teammates. Everyone is so supportive and fun to work with, especially when this is the first time that our school is competing, even though we knew that we might end up competing against each other.

KK: I became interested in DECA because I wanted to join a club that had aspects of both business and finance. Another aspect that appealed to me was the state leadership competition and the support of the community on the team.

How does your work on the DECA team relate to your other Madeira experiences?

AAL: The work on the DECA team is very similar to how MUN is structured, but we get to present our ideas instead of building on other people’s actions. Additionally, the experience when presenting our NGO project in Grade 10 Global Studies is very alike with how it feels to present in front of judges in DECA as well.

KK: My work on the DECA team is similar to the competitive aspects of Debate Club and the research tasks of classes like Global Studies. In Debate Club, we prepare speeches and presentations that are geared to be persuasive, just like our group presentation for DECA. Writing the position paper for DECA and finding all the requisite information to include reminded me of assignments in 10th Grade Global Studies where we learned to conduct research on our own.

VA: As the co-president of the DECA team, I have developed valuable leadership, public speaking, and organizational skills. These skills have allowed me to create more effective and informative class presentations, meet deadlines efficiently, and think more critically on the spot during MUN sessions. I also believe that DECA prepares individuals for professional environments like Co-Curriculum, particularly in interactions with adults, by fostering the use of professional language and promoting courteous behavior.

Were there any stressful moments during the competition? How did you handle the experience?

KK: For me, the most stressful moment of the competition was presenting because it was my first time, and I was unsure of how things were going to turn out. The support of everyone on the team and our chaperone Ms. Ninnis reminded me to just enjoy the experience which overall helped to settle my nerves.

VA: During this first competition, we received two awards, the first being the Annual Report Fortune 500 Trophy. For this, we had to create a visually appealing document that outlined the mission, activities, and goals for the Madeira Chapter. We only found out about this event around eight hours before the submission deadline, so Eesha and I were stressing about it all night trying to finish, which luckily, we did.

Additionally, we competed in the International Business Plan category, and our business idea was to create a luxury handbag company in the Philippines by reusing ocean plastics. So, to create a visually appealing poster board, we added a bag “handle” at the top, which was only attached using toothpicks. In the line, five minutes before we checked in for our presentation time, our handle completely fell off, and the toothpicks broke. Luckily, I had extras in my bag, and we were able to fix it before our presentation time. Navigating DECA can be quite complicated for a few teenagers. However, I had a few connections with experienced students from other schools who provided valuable information and tips that really helped us thrive at the State Leadership Conference.

AAL: It is very time-consuming to make our business proposal and presentation, especially with the limited time and additional schoolwork that we had. However, because of the support from my team and a little bit of extra organization, we managed to submit our work on time for the competition.

What are a few of your biggest takeaways from participating in DECA?

VA: Participating in DECA was an incredible experience that helped me grow in multiple ways. One of my biggest takeaways was the chance to meet like-minded people who shared a passion for business, marketing, and entrepreneurship, creating valuable connections for the future. I also enjoyed exploring different categories within DECA, such as finance and marketing, which helped me discover where my strengths lie and expand my knowledge. Spending time with friends, practicing presentations the night before, and collaborating under pressure strengthened our teamwork and created lasting memories. Beyond learning specific skills, DECA taught me critical life skills like public speaking, problem-solving, and time management, all of which are applicable in so many areas of life. Overall, DECA wasn’t just about competition, it was a platform for personal growth, building confidence, and learning how to adapt and think on my feet, preparing me for what the future holds.

KK: My biggest takeaway from this year's competition is how hardworking and incredible everyone is. This club inspires me to push myself to achieve my goals and that so much is achievable for our team in future years. I am so happy and so proud of our team, and I can’t wait to see what's in store next year and everything we will accomplish.

AAL: One of the biggest takeaways from participating in DECA is that it is an unforgettable experience, getting to be at an atmosphere so close to the real-life start-up ecosystem, gaining so many new insights, and meeting new people along the way. But most importantly, make sure not to underestimate the time that you have left, because time will certainly go by very fast.

Anything else you'd like to share?

AAL: I really enjoyed participating in such an amazing competition, and even though it may sound stressful, I still had so much fun in the end.

KK: To any Snails interested in DECA, we would absolutely love for you to join. Even if you have never competed before, it is such a memorable and great experience, and you will learn so much!

_{#MadeiraDECA #MadeiraClubs #MadeiraLeads #MadeiraThrives #MadeiraAchievements #MadeiraFieldTrips #MadeiraGrade10 #MadeiraInnovation}