Mike LeVecque’s Journal

May:

Friday– April 25– I arrived at the hotel after staying with my Uncle in Atlanta for a few days. I brought all of the campaign materials from my Uncle’s house to the Westin Hotel and I set up my campaign headquarters room all day. We had a campaign team meeting that night and then I helped Massachusetts DECA with registration.

Saturday, April 26– I took the National Officer Candidate Exam and then I participated in the interview with the Nominating Committee. At the Opening Session started and I proudly waved the Massachusetts State Flag. After the Opening Session, I returned to The Westin Hotel and got some much needed sleep.

Sunday, April 27– This was definitely the busiest and most exhausting day of the conference. I had seven caucuses on Sunday– starting at seven in the morning and ending at midnight. In the middle of all of the caucuses, there was also the State/Provincial Officer Luncheon – not to mention the speech session and the question and answer period – talk about stress! Sunday was a crazy day, but it tried to enjoy it as much as possible.

Monday, April 28– I finished the remaining five caucuses on Monday. I ended up caucusing with every state/province in the North Atlantic Region other than Delaware, who were not participating in the election process. Monday was a little less chaotic then Sunday, but it was still very tiring. Nevertheless, I went to the Celtics vs. Hawks game on Monday night! I am a diehard Celtics fan, as my family has season tickets. It was heartbreaking to see them lose, but it was still an enjoyable experience. After the game, I went back to the hotel and didn’t get that much sleep because I was very anxious about the Election Session in the morning.

Tuesday, April 29– THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!! It started off very nerve–wracking in the morning with the voting and then the day just dragged on and on and on until the Closing Session. I have never been so nervous in my life – never has anything meant so much to me and the people around me than this election. Hearing my name called as the 2008/2009 North Atlantic Region Vice President was the single best moment in my life to–date. I cannot express the joy that I experienced. My body was numb; it took a while for it to actually sink in. But, after the Closing Session, my campaign team and I went back to the hotel and celebrated! We had cake and non–alcoholic sparkling cider that the hotel gave to me – it was awesome! After the celebration, I went back to my hotel room and got a few hours of sleep for orientation in the morning.

Wednesday, April 30– Obviously, we had orientation and we met with the outgoing officers for breakfast and one–on–ones. After that, Team 63 met alone together for the first time with Mrs. Henn. I was, and I still am, extremely excited and anxious about the upcoming year. I know that Team 63 will bring a lot to the table, despite the absence of the WRVP. Thus, concludes the 2008 ICDC and begins my term as DECA’s 2008/2009 North Atlantic Region Vice President!

June:

This past month has been a whirlwind! Between wrapping up all unfinished business from ICDC, beginning my assignments as a National Officer, and finishing high school, I have barely had any time to relax. I am so excited to interact with DECA officers and members from across the globe at the Summer Officer Leadership Training Conference in Washington, D.C. It should be a great time filled with many memories. I look forward to seeing you in our Nation’s Capital, where you will "Make Your Mark" with DECA!

July:

Things have calmed down a little bit over the past month. However, I have had the opportunity to help train the Massachusetts DECA State Action Team. They are a great group of officers and I know they will make DECA proud.

Other than that, my days have been spent in preparation for the upcoming National Officer Training at DECA headquarters in Reston, Virginia. I am so excited to get to work with the rest of Team 63 and Mrs. Henn, our National Officer Advisor. From creating our Program of Work to meeting with our Senators and Congressmen/women on Capitol Hill, it should be a great time. I also look forward to meeting the rest of the DECA staff, as well as the Delta Epsilon Chi National Officer Team. Furthermore, the Summer Officer Leadership Training Conference is coming up, too! I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be able to work with the TRI and FOCUS teams in facilitating leadership workshops. In addition, I can't wait to meet all of the State/Provincial and Chapter Officers that will be in attendance. Sacrificing part of your summer to become a better leader in DECA is DECA Dedication at its best! See everybody next month – have a safe and happy summer!

August:

Tuesday, July 8th – National Officer Training – Shelby, Isaac, and I all arrived in the afternoon. We checked into the hotel and hung out while waiting for Uzo to arrive from WROTC in Nevada. Once Uzo arrived later that evening, we all went out to eat at Chili’s. We actually ate dinner with Jeff Douglas, the owner of Cybis, a media production company that produces some of DECA’s conferences. This was the first time where we, Team 63, collectively realized what picky eaters some of us are, specifically Isaac and Uzo. After dinner, we went to DECA headquarters for the first time and had some quality "Pit Time."

Wednesday, July 9th – The day was spent primarily at DECA headquarters, where we met all of the DECA staff and got a better understanding of how DECA operates as a whole. In the evening, we ate dinner with Bob Redd, the 2004/2005 National DECA President. Bob is an amazing man that had a lot of insightful information to share with us.

Thursday, July 10th – In the morning, we went over to the JC Penney’s studio to have our formal pictures taken. We then spent most of the afternoon developing our Program of Work at the hotel. We also started to create our PowerPoint presentation that would eventually be presented to DECA staff and at the SAM conference in August. After dinner, we went to George Washington University (GWU) for a reception for the Summer Officer Leadership Training Conference. The reception was actually very fun – between meeting many passionate DECA members from across the world and participating in several different icebreaker activities – it was an amazing night.

Friday, July 11th – Friday morning was spent at GWU, where we participated in some leadership workshops. Then, we spent the entire day participating in a scavenger hunt across Washington D.C. It proved to be a lot of walking, but it was well worth it as we (National Officer Team 63) ended up winning! It was also a character builder and a great bonding experience for us a team as we walked nearly 15 miles in the summer heat and humidity. After completing the scavenger hunt, we headed back to GWU. On the way over to GWU, we experienced the adventures of the D.C. Metro. From singing "Happy Birthday" to a random girl, to a certain Team member leaving their digital camera on the train, it was quite the experience. Once we finally arrived at GWU, we went out to eat with Ms. Kyle, the Director of the High School Division of DECA. From there, we loaded up on the tour buses with the rest of the conference attendees and we went on a night tour of Washington D.C. The tour was awesome- this was actually my sixth time in D.C., but there is still nothing quite like seeing that beautiful city lit up on a gorgeous summer night. After a long day, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

Saturday, July 12th – We spent the bulk of this day participating in workshops that TRI Leadership was hosting for the Summer Officer Leadership Conference. The workshops were incredibly informative and beneficial– it just goes to show that learning is a never–ending process. After the workshops, we went back to DECA headquarters and continued developing our Program of Work.

Sunday, July 13th – We met some truly amazing people over the course of Sunday. Two of which are Mr. Bill Carmichael and Mr. Tim Coffey, two DECA alumni that have dedicated their lives to making DECA the great organization that it is today. We also met with the Delta Epsilon Chi National Officer Team for the first time. That evening, we had a conference call with Mr. Roger Cartee, President of the Board of Directors, regarding our Program of Work goal about getting National Officer Alumni more involved in current DECA affairs. The day concluded with Pit Time.

Monday, July 14th – This was another whirlwind of a day! It started with a meeting with a representative from the ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Educators) in one of the Senate Chambers. Then we were off to the races as we spent the entire day running around Capitol Hill meeting with many Senators/Congressmen and their staff members. After over 30 meetings collectively and another exhausting day, we went to Union Station and had dinner.

Tuesday, July 15th – On Tuesday morning, we went to Marriot Headquarters in Maryland, where we met Mr. Bill Shaw, the Chief Operating Officer and the person second in command- right below Mr. Marriot himself. We also had the opportunity to meet and talk to Mr. Andy Chavez, who heads up Marriot’s Diversity and Community Outreach programs. From there, we went back to D.C., where we hosted a luncheon at the Washington Arts Club (the former home of President James Monroe) for members of DECA’s National Advisory Board. After the luncheon, we had a meeting at the Department of Education. But, once again, our travels weren’t so easy as we got in the cab of the craziest taxi driver in the entire District of Columbia. After a long and adventurous journey across town, we finally made it to our destination. At the Department of Education, we sat down with Mr. Troy Justeson, the Assistant Secretary of Education for the United States. He is second in charge at the D.O.E., right under the Secretary of Education. After that, we went back to DECA headquarters, where Mr. Tim Coffey made a truly amazing presentation to us. And then, we went to the Outback Steakhouse with Mr. Coffey. To finish the day, we had our final Pit Time of our training.

Wednesday, July 16th – We made out PowerPoint presentation to DECA staff in the morning. Then, we had a picnic at headquarters with all of the DECA staff members. And then we departed for the airport, where we all went our separate ways. Thus concludes the 2008/2009 National Officer Training!

Training was such a great week, all in all. We, Team 63, really bonded together so well with each other and Mrs. Henn. I met so many great people over that nine days and I am forever grateful to everyone that contributed to our training. It was sad for training to end. Yet, at the same time, we are about to embark on a once in a lifetime journey that will take us to some truly special places and leave us with memories and friendships that we will never let go of.

September:

With the start of school upon us, summer has gone and past. As much as I would like to see summer never end, the start of school symbolizes the beginning of another great DECA year. Now that we’ve have had enough time to recover from ICDC in Atlanta and enjoy summer to the fullest, it is time to get back into "DECA mode." As we speak, the combined Southern and North Atlantic Region Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee is rapidly approaching. I can’t wait for the opportunity to be able to meet and interact with the members and officers of the North Atlantic and Southern regions. Until next month, good luck with your DECA endeavors!

(Below are pictures of your National Officers on Capitol Hill and with TRI Leadership at Summer Officer Training)