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Julie's Journal

May:

As I am writing my very first journal as a newly elected NARVP, I am just now realizing that this is actually real and not a dream. ICDC was a great time, as it always has been before. This conference was a terrific learning experience, and I cannot wait to get things going!

Every day of the week has pretty much blended together, but I am left with only wonderful memories. I had the chance to meet so many amazing people, many of whom I will be working with next year! It's going to be great having the opportunity to work directly with the States/Provinces of the North Atlantic Region. I am also thrilled about working with the new team. I can tell right away that we will be very close.

I am so lucky to have had the support of my family, friends, DECA advisor, chapter, and state. I know that they were a help in contributing to my success and I am so grateful.

Overall, I feel that everything at the conference was successful. I can only imagine the level of organization it takes to put together a conference for so many people. I know that every DECA member is grateful for the effort that was put into the conference to make it so great.

The remainder of my High School career is quickly coming to a close, but there are so many wonderful things to come – including Officer Training in July. Until we next see each other, we will keep in touch through technology!

June:

The school year may be coming to a close, but this DECA year is just beginning! As I write this, I have attended senior prom, a few field trips, and I am two weeks away from graduating high school! It is very exciting, and I'm excited that I will have all summer to connect with DECA members even further.

As the last days fly by, I have been actively been putting together workshops and speeches, and have been in touch with various DECA members. I am counting down the days until DECA Officer Training in Reston, Virginia, this July. Many exciting things are planned, including a day on Capitol Hill. We will also be building our Plan of Work for the year. By the time I get home, I will know my officer duties inside and out.

As always, I am available by phone, Facebook or e-mail. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. My e-mail is decajulie@gmail.com. I look forward to getting to know all of you within the months to come.

Enjoy the last few weeks of school, and have a safe and relaxing summer vacation!

July:

June has been one busy month! Aside from college orientation, final exams, work and graduation, I have been busy preparing for DECA training. This month, I have been contacting State Representatives and Senators, writing keynotes and tele-conferencing with my new team.

DECA training is less than a week away, and I cannot wait to get there! There are many exciting activities planned for training – a day on Capitol Hill, a luncheon with National Advisory Board Representatives, building our POW, and of course, assisting at SOLT training in Washington, D.C.! I am so excited for training, and I cannot wait to work with my officer team.

Have a safe and relaxing summer, I look forward to hearing from you!

August:

July was definitely the most exciting month since ICDC! DECA Officer Training took place from July 6th-July 15th, and it was an exciting ten days! Team 64 had a very busy week and a half. Our trip included a day at Marriott Headquarters, where we met with Mr. William Shaw, the Vice-Chairman of Marriott. We also spent a day on Capitol Hill where we met with our local Senators and Congressman. During our training, the SOLT Conference was taking place, and Team 64 was able to be part of the training! We participated in many workshops at The George Washington University, and we had the opportunity to meet with DECA members from all over the country! One of the most exciting parts of the SOLT Conference was a night tour of Washington, D.C. where our tour guide highlighted many pieces of architecture and gave us a great history lesson!

During our training, Team 64 really had a chance to bond. I'm so excited that we are able to work together this year. From this experience, I've seen that people with many different backgrounds and stories can be great friends. There were many laughs during training, and I'm so glad to be working with a team that supports each other and is willing to help one another out.

Aside from many fun activities at training, there was also a lot of work, too! During our training, Team 64 built our program of work. There are so many wonderful things that we will be working on this year, including Skype Conferences. This will help the officers keep in touch with what each officer team is up to! While building the POW, the team spent many days at DECA Headquarters where we met the DECA Staff at a picnic! Headquarters has so many staff members who do a wonderful job at making DECA a great place!

Now that I'm home from training, I'm continuing to work on different parts of the POW while getting ready for school. I'm starting to get things ready for Bryant; I move in September 5^th!

I am so ready for a wonderful year! As always, I'm available by phone and e-mail, and now Skype and Twitter! If there is anything that I can do for you or your Officer Team, let me know; I'm here to serve you!

September:

As the summer is coming to a close, another new school year is beginning once again. That can only mean one thing – it's time to kick DECA into high gear! I am thrilled for this school year to begin, and there are so many exciting things happening! Each new school year brings about a world of opportunity, so be sure to get involved as much as possible, and really take the chance to live, learn and lead.

Team 64's Skype Conferencing with State and Provincial officers will be underway this month! I'm thrilled to have the chance to conference call with members of the North Atlantic Region. This month, we will be talking about building a POW! Look for posts on my Facebook page to summarize the discussions in the conference call.

During the month of September, I've been busy communicating with DECA members throughout the North Atlantic Region through e-mail, phone and text. It is great to hear about what is going on within your State/Province. There are always great and exciting projects happening in the North Atlantic Region.

Since NARCon is right around the corner, I have created a Facebook event for members to share their thoughts about the big weekend. Just like every conference, so many exciting things have been planned! As always, you can consult the DECA website for more information at http://www.deca.org/narlc_alt.html.

Aside from DECA, I also moved into school at the beginning of September! It is going to be a great year. So far, I've had the opportunity to meet some great new friends.

I can already tell that this is going to be a wonderful year! I am thrilled to work with such an intelligent, motivated and dedicated region. There are great things ahead for each and every member, so I strongly encourage you to make this year your best one yet! As I always say, I'm available by phone, e–mail, Skype, Twitter and LinkedIn and would love to hear from you! If I can help you or your Officer Team in any way, let me know, because I'm here to serve you!

October:

September has been an extremely busy month! From move-in day at college to DECA travel, it has been a fun month filled with excitement! It is hard to believe that I've already been living away at college for a month. Classes have been extremely busy, but I have learned so much already. The independence is definitely an adjustment, but it is a very exciting time.

This month I've learned how important it is to stay organized. Between schoolwork, DECA and other commitments at school, my planner has become so important. Keeping everything organized has helped me complete everything on time.

In DECA news, I had the privilege to travel to Vermont DECA on September 22-23 to help out at their Fall Leadership Conference. This was the first time I had ever gone to Vermont, and it was a great time! The Vermont State Officers and the students attending the Fall Leadership Conference had a lot of enthusiasm for the upcoming year and it was great to see!

Also, there were several DECA Skype Conferences that were held this month. At the conferences, we discussed the Team 64 POW and I was able to hear about what was going on in different state/provincial associations. These conferences are a great way to network with other state/provincial officers so I encourage you all to get involved! You can add me on Skype at any time. My username is DECAJulie and I hope to talk to you all at the next conference!

November:

October has been all about DECA! Competitive event season is kicking into high gear and Fall Conference season is in full swing. As always, it is great to hear about what every association is accomplishing.

I've had the privilege to attend the CT DECA Fall Leadership Conference and the Rhode Island DECA Fall Leadership conference this month and I had a great time at both conferences. The enthusiasm of the students is amazing, and I can tell that they are all excited for a great year!

Also, there were several DECA Skype Conferences that were held this month. At the conferences, we discussed what was going on in different state/provincial associations. These conferences are a great way to network with other state/provincial officers, so I encourage you all to get involved! You can add me on Skype at any time. My username is DECAJulie and I hope to talk to you all at the next conference on November 11th!

I don't know about everyone else, but I cannot wait until NARCon! I hope you are all excited for a wonderful conference! Pack your suitcases, it is only a couple days away!

December:

November has been an extremely busy and exciting month, filled with lots of traveling! In the beginning of November, I traveled to Buffalo, New York to attend NARCon, and I had a wonderful time! I was able to attend workshops that were put together by the State and Provincial officers. They did such a wonderful job! On Friday night, I was also able to watch a Buffalo Sabres hockey game with the members of the North Atlantic Region. On Saturday, members attended leadership development workshops, participated in a mini competitive events series and also had the opportunity to taste some delicious Buffalo Wings! The conference was concluded on Sunday, where we had a mini-award session for the members who participated in the mini competitive event series.

At the end of November, I attended the New York Experience with Ryan Dyck. It was so great to be in one of the greatest cities with members from the greatest student organization in the world! Ryan and I had the opportunity to attend a workshop with Madam Alexander’s Doll Company, take an NBC studio tour, see the Christmas Spectacular and participate in an event for Global Entrepreneurship Week, Speed Network the Globe. Members who participated in this workshop had the chance to meet with their fellow DECA members and answer questions about entrepreneurship. The New York Experience was a great conference, and was a great way to meet even more DECA members. I was so glad that I had the opportunity to participate!

At school, I’ve been busy attending my last classes for the semester and preparing for final exams, as well as attending campus activities. It’s been a busy month to say the least; I cannot wait to be home for the holidays!

As you all prepare for the upcoming conference season, I encourage you all to continue working hard and stay motivated. I wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season! Please feel free to contact me through e-mail, decajulie@gmail.com, with any questions, or if you would just like to talk! I hope to hear from you!

January:

December has been an exciting month! December was very busy at school and I’m glad that finals week is finally over! It was great to spend time with my family and friends during the holiday season.

During the remainder of my break, I will be working on the Team 64 Plan of Work and preparing for the Mid-Year meeting. The year is flying by much quicker than I thought! This month, I will finally see the team again at our Mid-Year meeting in Reston, Virginia. I am so excited to return to DECA Headquarters and talk to the team about our goals for the upcoming part of the year.

It's hard to believe that conference season is right around the corner; time really does fly by when you are having fun! Make the most of the upcoming conference season. Many exciting opportunities still await you this year; so take advantage!

I encourage you all to continue working hard and stay motivated. Please feel free to contact me through e-mail, decajulie@gmail.com, with any questions, or if you would just like to talk! I hope to hear from you.

February:

January was such a great month! I was on break from school for the majority of January, and I was so glad I was able to see my family and catch up with my friends.

I was able to spend a couple of days with my fellow officers at the Team 64 Mid-Year meeting, which was held in Reston, Virginia from January 21-24. At the meeting, the other officers and I talked about what we’ve accomplished so far and made plans for the rest of the year. On Friday, the team worked on some presentation skills and worked on greetings. We also talked a lot about ICDC…I still cannot believe that it is right around the corner.

In the next several months, attending State and Provincial Conferences will be both very exciting and busy. It will be great to see the hard work of the DECA members pay off on stage! I wish all of you the best of luck at your upcoming conferences. Remember to put your best foot forward and make a great impression! Good luck, and I hope to see you in Louisville!