Ryan's Journal

May:

The title, National DECA President, is something I'm still not too familiar with but I'm definitely ready to get used to. All the hard work and stress my campaign team and I endured this year at ICDC was definitely worth it when everything came to fruition at the closing session. I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face for hours after being elected, even if I tried. I think I might have even slept smiling that night!

After the officer orientation meeting for team 64, I already knew we had a great team. We got to know more about each other throughout the day and found similarities with everyone. We even discovered some funny and entertaining facts about everyone I know we have an amazing year ahead of us, and I look forward to getting to know the team more!

Now that we've all returned from the wonderful world of DECA, it's time to buckle back down into school and get ready for graduation! I can't believe that graduation is in only two weeks from now. I'm extremely excited to be done with school, but even more excited about being able to devote myself entirely to DECA and be the huge "DECA Dork" that I am!

June:

The past month has been extremely eventful. First there was my graduation, which was a great time and it feels so great to finally be out of high school. Dakota Ridge's graduation was held at Fiddler's Green, which is an outdoor amphitheater, and unfortunately it rained the entire time. Our caps and gowns were completely soaked! The caps were so wet that the cardboard in them started to wilt down at every corner. All in all it was still a great time, the rain made our commencement even more memorable.

Shortly after graduation, my mother and I flew to New York City to meet with her fiancé and his family before we went on a cruise through the Caribbean. This was the first time I had ever been to New York City so it was very exciting and interesting to see. Although Denver is a large city, it is nothing compared to New York City. The city reminded me so much of when I lived in South Korea. The environment was very similar, except it was full of American food and signs in English of course. We enjoyed a couple of shows and also saw some attractions such as Times Square, Ground Zero, Little Italy, and many more. While visiting New York I met with Dave Montoni (2007–2008 NARVP) and Joshua Kopac from Connecticut DECA for dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Wolfgang's Steakhouse off of 33rd Avenue. It was an amazing restaurant and I enjoyed getting to know Dave and Joshua Better. We talked about DECA and they gave me some suggestions on good attractions in the city to visit before I left. I also learned quite a bit about Connecticut DECA, they definitely have some rich DECA history. After talking to them I became extremely excited to start communicating with more states and provincial associations of DECA and learning even more about them.

After spending a couple of days in New York City, we boarded our cruise. The cruise was very fun because we were celebrating graduation and my mother's birthday. Aside from those events, my mother was also getting married on the cruise! I now have a new family, which includes two step-siblings, Rachel and Kyle. Rachel is the same age as I am, and was also in DECA. We joke around and say we have one big DECA family now. Kyle is going to be a junior at Colorado State University. After spending hours on the beach and riding scooters through Bermuda with them, we all got to know each other extremely well and I'm glad I can call them my family now.

As I write from the cruise, I look forward to returning home and heading to the Career and Technical Student Organization Officer Training in Breckenridge, Colorado. The Colorado DECA state officers attend this every year along with many other CTSO officers. Although it will be strange attending the training as an observer this year rather than a participant, I'm very excited to see what the new team will put together there. The vacation has been great, but I'm beginning to have DECA withdrawals!

July:

The month of June has flown by and I can't believe that training is just around the corner. I have been home for just over a week this month and I have a feeling it is a preview to the year to come while traveling for DECA, but I'm definitely not complaining. I can't wait!

The morning after returning home to Denver from my cruise, I drove out to Breckenridge to attend Colorado's CTSO Training along with the Colorado DECA State Officer Team. It was great to be able to spend time with the state officers and see the program of work they had developed. I also was able to meet a few of the TRI trainers and am very excited to see them throughout the year. A few days later I flew out to Clinton, Missouri to stay with my grandparents and visit with old friends. While I was in Clinton I was invited to meet with my old DECA chapter from Clinton High School. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant, El Camino, where I was introduced to the new chapter officers. I can tell they have a great team on their hands and I'm excited to see what this year has to bring for them.

I can't wait to head off to Reston, Virginia and Washington D.C. for training and to kick of the start of a great DECA year. All the excitement is starting to sink in and I'm finally realizing that all of this isn't just a dream anymore.

I hope the rest of your summer is great, and I look forward to meeting and communicating with all of you soon!

August:

What a month July has been! A great one though to say the least! From July 6th through the 15th I and the rest of Team 64 were in Reston, Virginia and Washington D.C. for National Officer Training. We really hit the ground running once we arrived but it was an absolute blast!

Our first night in Virginia we were treated to a very nice meal at Carrabba's Italian Restaurant with the Delta Epsilon Chi officers. We all had a great time meeting each other and catching up with our respective teams. The next day we went to Marriott International Headquarters to meet with the Vice–Chairman, Mr. Shaw. Not only did we have the opportunity to meet and talk with him, we were also taken on a tour of the offices by Mr. Chavez, Marriott's Director of National Programs, and he even let us see some of the sample hotel rooms. They use the rooms to test out designs and to take pictures for marketing use, so we all really enjoyed that. Because Reston is so close to Washington D.C., we were able to drive up to the city for the day and spend it on Capitol Hill meeting with senators and representatives to talk about Career & Technical Education and how important it is to so many people. This was something I really enjoyed, although it was a lot of work and we were very busy that day, it was very exciting!

The next day the national officers for both DECA and Delta Epsilon Chi were in charge of hosting a luncheon for NAB representatives. The luncheon was hosted at the Washington Arts Club, former home of President James Monroe, thanks to Mr. Carmichael, a very special friend in the DECA family. It was a very formal luncheon, with delicious food! It was great meeting all of the different NAB representatives and learning more about them. That night was the start of the Summer Officer Leadership Training Conference in D.C. so we were able to attend a part of the conference in the evening. We came back to D.C. the next few days so we could attend the conference as much as possible. This was the first conference that Team 64 had attended as a National Officer Team, so we were all eager to meet the officers that we will be working with so much this year. I never had the opportunity to attend SOLT before this summer, and now I really wish I would have been able to! Whether it was participating in activities, watching skits the officers put on, or doing the Cha Cha slide in front of everyone, we all had a great time and didn't want to leave when the conference was over! During SOLT we also went on a night tour of the city and saw many famous monuments, memorials, and historical landmarks. I took so many pictures my camera battery died and I had to do without it for the rest of the tour!

A great friend of mine and a past National President from Colorado, Kelly VanWoerkom, was in Washington D.C. for an internship and was able to meet with Team 64 for dinner one night in Reston. She talked us through some of the major do's and don'ts of being an officer and told us a little about her term as National President. Once SOLT was over we were able to start working on Team 64's Program of Work. I'm very excited about our Program of Work this year. I can tell we have a great year ahead of us!

Aside from all the DECA events, we had great bonding time as well. We all became so close as a team and I can now call Julie, Nick, Tori, and John great friends. We all get along great and can have fun wherever we go and no matter what we were doing. From spending an hour in a furniture store, singing in the car, or just sitting down at the hotel talking for hours, we had a great time no matter what! We even have a few inside jokes now, close call! I already miss them all and can't wait to work with them throughout the year!

After returning home to Denver from D.C. for just a few short hours I flew out to San Diego for the Western Region Officer Training Camp. This time it was just John and I attending the conference. WROTC was another conference that I hadn't been able to attend in previous years, and one that I would definitely recommend attending! John and I both had a great time facilitating workshops and spending time with the officers. One night we had the opportunity to venture off through San Diego and were invited to dinner with the officers from Michigan and Ontario. We even got to spend some time at the beach – not enough time to actually get in the water, but we all had a nice stroll down by the water.

Now that I'm home from the wonderful world of DECA, I'm preparing for the SAM (State Association Management) Conference that will take place on August 12th. I and Team 64 have started implementing our Program of Work and we are all extremely excited for the year to start! You'll notice some new changes to the biography page for Team 64 that will make us more accessible to communicate with by providing links and icons directing you to social networking sites we will be maintaining. So please do not hesitate to contact us! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

September:

Schools are officially in session and the DECA year has finally begun! The busy schedule has also picked up. Between working fulltime and serving as National President, this month has been very restless, but I've been having an absolute blast.

Earlier in August I traveled to Louisville, Kentucky for the State Association Management (SAM) Conference. To be completely honest with you, I had some doubts about Louisville and wasn't sure if it was going to be as great as all of the other wonderful ICDC locations. I was sure wrong. After seeing the city and all of the things to do, I realized that I actually was really excited that ICDC was going to take place there. The hotels were all spectacular and I even found one of my new favorite Mexican restaurants! After hearing all the events that will be going on during ICDC, it seemed even more exciting. So many exciting things will be going on! When everyone finds out, I'm sure you'll be just as excited as I am!

At the SAM Conference I was joined by Nicole McAlister, Delta Epsilon Chi President, so we were able to spend some time together and share some ideas from organization to organization. By the end of the conference we both agreed that we thought we knew a fair amount about each of our organizations, but after attending the SAM Conference, we realized there is always more to learn about DECA and how it operates behind the scenes. I also had the opportunity to get to know a lot of the state and provincial advisors. They're all wonderful people and I'm so excited to be working with them all this year! I don't think DECA could ask for a better group of advisors.

Shortly after the SAM Conference I flew to Las Vegas for the MDA Telethon! The first place winners of the community service competition get to travel to this event as well, and this year they just happened to be from Colorado! Once I got to the airport, I met up with Stacy Michas, Alex Givan, Evan Barret and their advisor Mr. Sheeks from Cherry Creek High School. During the trip we all had the opportunity to explore the strip and go to the pool quite a bit. I really enjoyed spending time with them all. I also really enjoyed hearing about their involvement with MDA. They really opened my eyes to an entirely new world. They were so passionate about everything they said when they described their project and I could tell they really wanted to do good for the organization. The weekend was really one of the most life changing and inspirational weekends ever. I had never been too involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, but after meeting all the families and making new friends affected by MD, I now know that I want to become more involved and can't wait to start working more with MDA! Everyone at the telethon cared so much about what they were doing and they were all so dedicated. From the camera crews to the hosts, everyone was so motivational and the whole experience really changed my outlook on things.

Overall, this past month has been filled with travels, work, but most of all excitement. Things are finally in full swing and I'm sure many questions are starting to come up, so feel free to ask me or any of the other officers! We are all here for you!

October:

This past month has been full of DECA travels. In fact, I write this journal entry from the Oakland airport as I'm on my way home from the Northern California Leadership Development Conference. It was definitely a conference that I won't forget! It was great seeing the state officers and the TRI Leadership Team. It was also great to be back in sunny California as well! Although I didn't have too much free time outside, I was able to enjoy the weather while I could.

Just a few days ago I was in Arizona for their DECAlympics conference. Now that was a very unique and one of a kind conference! I've never heard of any other states doing anything like it! I had an absolute blast though. I had never been to a camp at all, DECA related or not, so it was a very interesting experience. The members were all so dedicated and it really reminded me of why I love DECA so much!

One of the other trips I made this month wasn't the typical DECA conference. It was a trip to Las Vegas for the MDA Telethon. Words really cannot explain how life changing that one weekend was. I have never worked directly with MDA, so it was so great to learn more about the cause and what the association was all about. Everyone there, from the cameramen to the presenters, cared so much about MDA and they were so passionate about everything they did! It really changed the way I look at things now. The other thing that I really loved about the conference is that it was more of a celebration than anything. Everyone was having such a good time and was so happy to be there! This year's community service project winners actually came from Cherry Creek High School here in Colorado, so I was able to fly to Las Vegas with them and we all spent quite a bit of time with each other. Alex, Stacy, Evan and I had a great time and met so many amazing people!

Now that all the conferences are starting, I'm finally starting to adjust to the lifestyle of being a national officer. It was a little difficult at first because it really is such a drastic change from what I'm used to. It's very different because I'm always on the road… or should I say in the air? It's also difficult because all of the people I'm so used to being friends with have all gone off to college in different towns, so it's been hard to adjust but I think I'm finally used to the DECA lifestyle. It's all worth it though!

Team 64 is starting to put our Program of Work into action, and I'm so excited to start doing so! I think we have a great year planned and I hope we can get as much participation as possible from every DECA member! So be sure to check out our Program of Work online and see if you'd be interested in participating in any of the projects we have planned!

Talk to you soon!
Ryan Dyck
National DECA President

November:

Surprisingly, I've been home for an entire month now. I guess you could say it's the calm before the storm of conferences coming up, but it still has been quite a busy month. Although I haven't been traveling much lately, the entire month has been filled with DECA tasks to prepare for the conferences ahead!

The regional conferences are finally starting to begin and I can't wait for all of them to kick off! Although I will only be attending the Central and Western Region conferences, I've heard details about each one and the agendas all look very exciting! Regional conferences were always my favorite to attend, so I'm very excited to be able to attend them yet again, but also to have the opportunity to experience how the different regions operate. The New York Experience conferences will also be taking place in the next couple months! Between all of these conferences I hope to meet many new DECA members and to see some familiar faces!

Aside from all of the DECA work, I've also managed to fit in some time for a new job with Marriott International, which just so happens to be one of DECA's national sponsors. I can honestly say that I've never enjoyed a job as much as I do Marriott. I've only been working there for about three weeks now, but I've loved every day of it! The entire staff is great and extremely welcoming. They know all about DECA too!

I look forward to seeing and meeting many of you soon!

December:

I can’t believe that the holidays are already here! This past month has flown by but it has been an amazing one to say the least. I wasn’t home much, but I made up for it by attending some of the best DECA conferences I’ve ever experienced!

I was honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to attend both the Western and Central region leadership conferences. WRLC was held in Reno, Nevada and was a phenomenal conference! It was great to see all the plans come to fruition at the conference and to see the changes that were made from last year’s WRLC that I attended as a state officer. John Stiles was there, of course, so we had a great time meeting with all the members of WR DECA that attended.

Right after WRLC I flew to New York City for DECA’s New York Experience! I went to New York for the first time this past summer and loved it, so I was very excited to go back again. Julie joined me at this conference and we had a great time. There were some great tours that were set up that made the trip all worthwhile. Not to mention some great food! We also got to see some very exciting shows like the Rockettes! During our trip, it was also Global Entrepreneurship Week, so Julie and I were able to participate in some activities to celebrate with the DECA members such as speed network the globe. It was an awesome experience and I wished I had attended the conference earlier! If you haven’t been, you definitely need to experience it!

Once the New York Experience had ended, I was able to spend a few days at home and celebrate Thanksgiving before heading out for the next DECA trip. This Thanksgiving we decided to go out for our meal since we were in the middle of a move. Yes… we’re moving again! Still in Colorado, though.

The next trip of the month was the Central Region Leadership Conference! I flew out with Nick Gerken since he’s in Colorado now for school. The conference had nearly 3,000 members attend so it was great! The DECA enthusiasm was all over Minneapolis! The Minnesota DECA Fall Leadership Conference was also just before that, so I was able to attend as well and see the new state officer elections take place. It was definitely a great conference and next year’s CRLC will have some big shoes to fill!

From Minneapolis I flew to Ohio to assist in the Ohio DECA State Officer Training! I was really looking forward to this trip! The officer team was great and we did a lot of different activities that we really had fun with. I really enjoyed the trip and it made me realize that I might like to do some more state officer training or coaching down the road. It was also my first time in Ohio, so they showed me around Columbus a bit; I loved the city! I had quite a few travel complications on my way home due to weather, but I was able to switch my flights and make it home safe thankfully!

Now that I’m home for a little while, I’m looking forward to spending time with the family in our new house and seeing all my friends that will be coming home from school! I’m also hoping to get some snowboarding time in!

Enjoy your winter break and happy holidays!

Ryan Dyck
National DECA President

January:

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s already 2010; this year has been flying by! This past month has been a very slow DECA month, but it was good to have a little bit of a break. I was not traveling very much this month at all and it was wonderful to spend time with family and friends who came home for the holidays. I even had a few days off for the holidays at Marriott, so it was great to relax and enjoy all of the festivities!

Although there wasn’t much travel this month, there has still been plenty of DECA work I’ve been doing from home. Soon I’ll be flying out to Phoenix for the Secondary Program Advisory Council Meeting. I’m extremely excited to get out of the cold Colorado weather for a few days! I’m also very excited for the meeting and to discuss the future plans for DECA. It should be an exciting trip.

Shortly after Phoenix, I’ll be flying out to headquarters in Reston again for our Mid-Year Meeting. I cannot wait to finally see all of the team at once again! It’s strange to think that we are only together three times as a team; once at training, once at Mid-Year, and then at ICDC. So since we are rarely all together, we’re all very excited!

I hope all of you enjoyed your breaks and are having a great start to the New Year!

Best Regards,

Ryan Dyck
National DECA President

February:

The busy DECA season has finally begun and I’m more excited than ever! My month started off by attending the Secondary Program Advisory Council meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was such a great trip and we had an extremely productive meeting. We discussed many changes that may be coming DECA’s way and I think that there is definitely a bright future mapped out for the organization. I’m excited to see the organization continue to grow!

After my trip to Arizona, I had just over a week at home to try to get as much work in as possible at Marriott before flying to Reston for Team 64’s Mid Year meeting. I was ecstatic about our meeting because it was going to be the first time since training our entire team would be together! It was great to be back in Reston at DECA headquarters and to be reminded of how excited we were to start our terms as national officers. Although there was a lot of work involved during those few days, we still had a lot of fun and we were all so excited to be back together. Aside from several meetings we managed to make the first video for the ABC’s of DECA YouTube project! I’m so excited to get this project launched. I think it will be a very beneficial resource to all DECA members, officers, and advisors! If you still haven’t heard about the ABC’s of DECA YouTube project, visit the DECA website or feel free to ask any of us for more information!

State and Provincial conferences are just right around the corner and I can’t wait to see how some of them operate their individual career development conference! The month ahead will definitely be full of DECA travel, but I’m anticipating each and every trip!

As the next round of competition kicks off, I wish you all the best of luck and I hope to see you all soon!

Best Regards,

Ryan Dyck
National DECA President