The Harker DECA officer team, 15 strong, attended the DECA Emerging Leader Summit (ELS) at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District in early July to partake in leadership workshops and develop as a team. Officers from all over the country traveled to San Francisco for leadership training, networking opportunities and keynote speakers.

The group attended several workshops on communication, professional behavior, fundraising and chapter development. The students also attended an etiquette luncheon, took a bus tour of the city and held a chapter dinner.

“ELS was a good opportunity for the officer team to reconnect and get stuff ready and planned for DECA Launch,” co-CEO Alexis Gauba, grade 12, said. “It was also an opportunity for the officer team to bond and have some fun together, and it was definitely valuable that the teams had some designated team time.”

The team is now preparing for DECA Launch, which will happen Aug. 15-16.

Harker DECA is an international competitive business organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Harker’s DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition so that the next generation will be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.