As the competitive season begins, Irvington DECA members, both new and old, are taking CTE (Career Technical Education) classes ranging from Marketing to Digital Video Arts Production. To accommodate the large demand for CTE classes, largely from Irvington DECA members, a lot of work was done to bring new classes, such as Marketing, to the Irvington campus as well as make other classes eligible for CTE credits.
Last year in February, or Career and Technical Education Month, a CTE lobbying team was formed, led by Irvington DECA. The team comprised of alumni to state officers and to local public figures. They visited the Fremont Unified School District weekly forum where they called for CTE classes to be implemented across the city. Congressman-elect Ro Khanna was a major proponent for the CTE classes as well, voicing his support for CTE classes in the school district, which would teach students skills with increased emphasis on real-world applications. Additionally, city council-elect, Raj Salwan was another strong advocate for the implementation of CTE courses, further emphasizing the benefits of CTE courses at the board meeting.
During this new school year, the impacts of the CTE classes have been apparent. Following California state regulations and standards, Irvington DECA has been able to benefit from the implementation of CTE classes on campus. The CTE classes enhance the learning experience for all members. In particular, DECA members find the CTE classes especially useful as the classes teach students the concepts and skills needed to be successful in business. Maintaining its relatively large chapter size, Irvington DECA has been able to provide students with the opportunity to pursue their passions in business.
Irvington DECA thanks all DECA members and alumni for their advocacy, Ro Khanna for recognizing and supporting the needs of the students and community, the principal of Irvington High School Sarah Barrious, assistant principal Monica Guzman, and director of secondary education at Fremont Unified School District James Maxwell, for making CTE classes a possibility on Irvington campus.
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ABOUT IRVINGTON DECA
Irvington DECA is the localized chapter-level operation of DECA, Inc. With over 200 members, DECA is attracts large amounts of students who are interested in business management, financing, hospitality, and marketing. It is a well-established chapter within the Northern District of California DECA and sends over a hundred students to the Northern California Career Development Conference and the California State Career Development Conference, as well as qualifying participants to the international level at the International Career Development Conference.
ABOUT DECA, INC.
DECA, Inc. is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and offers students experiences in marketing, business management, financing, and hospitality to over 215,000 high school students across the globe.