Elmwood’s DECA club is kicking off another exciting year with a dynamic executive team ready to lead with creativity, confidence, and collaboration. This year’s leaders—President Raluca, Vice-President Mia, VP of Leadership Naomi B., VP of Marketing Lexi F.-D., VP of Career Development Chenyi D., and VP of Finance Alexa N.—bring a shared passion for business, innovation, and student engagement. Together, they’ll guide Elmwood’s DECA members in developing real-world leadership, communication, and organizational skills while fostering a spirit of professionalism and teamwork throughout the year.
Message from club President Raluca:
Hello! My name is Raluca and I am honoured to be DECA’s President this year. DECA is a business and entrepreneurship club that aims to prepare students to be active leaders in the business realm.
Joining the club in its first year was a completely impulsive decision, driven by my love for the business class I was taking at the time. We started as a tight-knit community of eight enthusiastic students, but over the last four years, through continuous outreach and persuasive marketing, I’ve helped grow the club to nearly forty members.
In collaboration with the Executive team, my role includes facilitating weekly meetings, organizing activities through discussions with the team, and acting as the primary liaison between the student body and the Ontario DECA community. I adore every part of being in DECA. It is such an inspiration to me to be able to see younger students excited to propose innovative ideas and approaches to complex challenges faced by businesses.
One of my favourite experiences from DECA was at the Provincial competition last year: the night before the competition, my friend Khaliya and I practiced our presentations countless times. We would take turns acting as the judges, and although it was an informal setup, it was both highly motivating and filled with endless laughter.
This ties in closely with my proudest moment of DECA, which was being a Provincial Finalist and top scorer for my oral events last year. Hearing the announcement of ‘from Elmwood School…” in a room of thousands of students filled me with immense pride to be able to represent the school.
As this year’s President, my main objective is to prepare the club for the Provincial Competition in February 2026, especially through the lens of interactive activities. So far, we have focused on the qualifying exam through Jeopardy-style quizzes and have held Shark Tank competitions to practice developing business ideas in a short time frame.
If I could give one piece of advice to present or future DECA members, it would be that self-confidence and authenticity are conducive to seizing the moment. In competition, everyone is ready to pitch their best ideas. As Elmwood students, I would encourage them that they are so unbelievably well equipped to be risk-takers, to empower others when they walk into the room.
DECA has taught me the importance of intersecting creativity with the sphere of business, of thriving in spontaneity. I am immensely grateful to the support that Mr. Hodgins has provided us to grow the club over the last four years. I can genuinely say that DECA has been the highlight of my high school career.
To all current and future Elmwood students, entrepreneurs, and business leaders: join DECA!
Vice President Mia, shares what she has learned from being a DECA Executive:
I have been apart of DECA for 4 years. I was inspired to join the club because I have always had a huge passion for business and intend to pursue it in the future. The club gave me the opportunity to work with others and immerse myself in real-world business concepts through teamwork, competitions, and leadership experiences. It has helped me grow my confidence, understand how businesses operate, and discover what areas of business I want to explore further. My favourite part of being an executive is sharing my passion and helping others see what they are capable of. The biggest thing I’ve learnt while being a part of DECA is the importance of a good team; success truly comes from collaboration, trust, and the willingness to support one another through challenges. DECA has shown me that great ideas become reality when a team works together toward a common goal. In the future, I hope to manage my own marketing company, helping both people and brands be their best selves.
VP of Leadership, Naomi, details her role in Elmwood's DECA club:
This is my second year of DECA and I’m the Vice President of Leadership on the DECA Executive team. I help with planning the meetings and making sure that all of the DECA members get the resources and support that they need to be successful at provincials! I was inspired to join DECA because it’s a really great way to learn about business and develop collaboration skills. This year as part of the DECA team I’ve already made a website for members to access all the information that they need and I’m also hoping to improve the communication that members receive from the DECA team, particularly surrounding preparing for provincials.
VP of Finance, Lexi, provides some insight on her DECA role and experience:
How long have you been part of DECA?
I have been a part of DECA since last year.
What inspired you to join DECA?
I was inspired to join DECA by the welcoming and warm atmosphere.
What’s your role on the DECA executive team?
I am DECA’s Marketing Executive.
What does your role on the executive team involve?
My role involves promoting DECA at Elmwood through publishing content on websites and instagram. I also organize and lead meetings, and work with the rest of the executive team.
What’s your favourite part of being a DECA executive?
I love that I get to contribute to the accepting and welcoming atmosphere of our DECA club.
What do you hope to accomplish this year as part of the DECA team?
My goal for this year is to make our club as welcoming and inclusive as possible! I want to make sure that everyone feels included in every meeting, and that our meetings consist of fun and engaging activities.
How do you support new members or help make DECA events successful?
There’s so many interesting things to talk about at DECA meetings, and I like to add to that by promoting an upbeat atmosphere when we get together. I also like organizing activities that encourage everyone to meet new people and I make sure no one is left out.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to future DECA members or execs?
Work hard and have fun. In this club, working hard while organizing events really makes a difference. You see it in the meetings that then go smoothly and lets deca members have fun and enjoy themselves. The club itself is a really fun and engaging club so it’s not hard to enjoy your time with us.
What’s your favourite memory or experience from DECA so far?
One of my favourite activities I organized with our president Raluca was a game of DECA celebrities. It’s a game of charades with 3 different rounds, each round was very different and a lot of fun as I got to see everyone's competitive nature come out as they tried extremely hard to act out business terms and icons.
Hear from VP of Career Development, Chenyi, about her experience in Elmwood's DECA club:
This is my second year in DECA, and I joined because I wanted to learn more about business and challenge myself. My favourite part of DECA is meeting new people and working together to solve real-world problems. One of my best memories was attending the DECA competition and seeing how many people share the same passion as me. Being part of this club has helped me become more confident in public speaking and leadership. My advice to future members is to just go for it, take the risk! You’ll learn a lot, make amazing friends, and have so much fun along the way.
VP of Finance, Alexa, shares her favourite aspects of being a part of DECA:
How long have you been part of DECA?
I’ve been part of DECA since the start of high school, so this is my third year in the club. Each year has been such a learning experience, for me its not just about business, but also about teamwork, leadership, and creativity.
What’s your role on the DECA executive team?
I’m the Public Relations Executive. This role is meant to be the bridge between DECA and the rest of the outside community. I handle communications with event coordinators and work with our Marketing Executive to create promotional content, and help represent our club. Since we don’t currently have a Finance Executive, I also coordinate fundraising activities with the President and Vice President, manage budgeting for events, and help plan logistics for Provincials, such as scheduling, restaurant bookings, and team travel details. Lastly, I lead the design and production of DECA “swag” (shirts, sweaters, jackets, etc.) and assist with event planning and member engagement.
What do you hope to accomplish this year as part of the DECA team?
This year, I want to help every member perform their best at the competition and really enjoy the process. Of course, it’d be amazing to win something, but my main goal is to make DECA more accessible and exciting for new members. I also want to help the executive team improve how we prepare members for their events, making training more structured, supportive, and fun.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to future DECA members or execs?
I want the newer members to remember that DECA is a club, not your entire identity. How well you perform at Regionals doesn’t define how good of an entrepreneur you are. The competition judges how well you fit their criteria, but real-world entrepreneurship is about taking initiative and bringing your ideas to life, not just fitting into a box (which even are skills I’m still learning). For future executives, my advice is to lead with enthusiasm as well as to check in with members, motivate them, and make DECA something they look forward to every week.
What’s one skill DECA has helped you develop the most?
DECA has helped develop my entrepreneurial skills. Even though I’ve taken business and accounting courses, DECA taught me how to apply that knowledge in a hands-on, professional way. It’s helped me learn how to write business proposals, think strategically under pressure, and present ideas confidently, which I believe are all essential skills for the real world.
What are your career goals or dream job?
I want to become an entrepreneur and run a nonprofit organization that supports children in Cambodia. My biggest inspiration came from my maternal grandma's story. She immigrated to Canada after the Khmer Rouge with only $2,000 and built a thriving Asian market business in Montreal, which she later sold, donating part of the profits to temples (and funding the education of multiple monks) in our hometown. I feel incredibly grateful to have such a strong, entrepreneurial woman to look up to. Her resilience in stepping up for our family and her generosity toward others taught me what it truly means to be both business-minded and community-driven. Cambodia still faces many challenges, especially for orphaned children. My dream is to create a home and educational space for them, filled with the opportunities all kids should be given.