Tori's Journal

May:

This will be my very first journal entry and my very first step as a DECA National Officer. My world has been flipped upside-down as I move from a state president to the Southern Region Vice President. Honestly, I can barely contain my excitement as this fact slowly sinks in. The school year may be over, but our journey together has just begun!

For the past week my life has been anything but normal. Receiving Facebook requests and keeping in contact with all of you is my primary goal and I'm glad it has already begun. As my last day of high school is May 8, I already have to find a new balance between this incredible leadership position and life. Every moment is a learning situation and I know things will fall into place.

This ICDC was the best. Not because it was in California, or because I won the office of my dreams, but because of you. Every member of the Southern Region put in their best effort and strived to achieve. Meeting so many of you has been an amazing experience and I cannot wait to work with you throughout the year. Based on this past ICDC and exceptional caliber of our members, I know that this year is going to be even better than the last. I am so thrilled to be your SRVP. Until next month, keep in touch!

June:

The month of May was intensely crazy. Graduation, college orientation, DECA assignments, and family prioritized most of my time. Tears mix with smiles as my life's new chapter begins. With so much changing, DECA has served as a grounding point to keep me on task and productive. School may be ending, but the DECA year is just starting. These coming months are going to be full of new opportunities, fresh beginnings, and incredible chances to develop as leaders.

Although ICDC was over a month ago, my excitement hasn't ended. The day our pictures went up on the national Web site was the best summer day so far. The month became even better at my University of Florida orientation when I was able to represent DECA as I spoke with the business school and the academic advisors. Being Southern Region Vice President finally set in at the Florida DECA State Officer Training. As I spoke with the new team, I finally realized that my journey and impact as a state officer is over, but my year as a national officer if just beginning. Getting to know the national officer team throughout this last month has shown me how much potential there is for this coming year to be amazing. You as DECA members deserve more recognition for your hard work, and I hope to bring that to you throughout my term this year.

July:

Time is flying by faster and faster. Just a month ago I was graduating high school, now I am enrolled at the University of Florida. Dorm life is definitely different than home life, but every new situation provides for an opportunity to learn. College may be a blast so far, but I still have my responsibility to DECA. I had to find a balance quicker than I expected and it was difficult to manage at first, but I'm developing a schedule to maintain my DECA life and college life.

Washington D.C. will be this next week and I am so unbelievably excited. I cannot wait to spend time with my fellow officers whom I normally only talk to once or twice a week. The opportunity to meet United States Senators only comes around once or twice and I am honored to be representing DECA on Capitol Hill. Most importantly, I get to work with the state and chapter officers from around my region through the SOLT Conference.

This month may have been a tough one, but being a national officer just keeps getting better and better. I hope that all of you are having an amazing summer and I hope to meet you in Washington D.C.

August:

This month has been nothing but exciting. Officer training was, by far, the highlight of my summer. Even with exams and term papers coming every week, it's hard to focus on anything but DECA. Every day of training was filled with something to do and even the busiest moments turned into a great bonding experience with my fellow officers. The opportunities were endless as we met with Mr. Shaw, the Vice Chairman of the Marriot, and our local senators and congressmen. Working on Capitol Hill is an entirely new experience and truly changed my perception of Washington D.C. The white buildings took on a new light as we navigated the tunnels and were surrounded by a changing government.

The trip's true pinnacle was SOLT with the state and chapter officers. I had such an awesome time working, talking, and even dancing with all of you. The workshops were a blast and the night tour was absolutely beautiful. Every experience we shared at SOLT went into our Program of Work. The conference helped us put things into perspective and remind all of us to focus on the members.

Although we worked hard, I'm glad our team stayed focused but still had fun. We have become so close and I can't wait to work with my team more throughout this year. At the end of our training we were all tearing up a little bit at the thought of leaving. However, our year is just beginning and it is sure to be an amazing one!

September:

The month of August can be described in one word: new. I started a new semester at the University of Florida; I met a ton of new people in my sorority; and a whole new DECA year has officially begun. College has been crazy; the fall semester is so much more alive and busy than the summer semester. The setting is also very different from high school. In high school I had 30 other students, tops, in my classes. At the University of Florida, however, I have 700 other students in most of my classes. This can be a tad overwhelming, but the opportunities to get involved are endless, just like in DECA.

With so much new coming into my life, I had to take a minute to reflect on the old. Looking back, my high school experience was all about DECA. From that very first conference as an official member to my internationals win, DECA has given me so many amazing memories. Some of you are just beginning your journey and others are at the end. Embrace every moment and participate in everything because you don't want to have any regrets. This year is full of incredible conferences, guest speakers, competitive events, and traveling opportunities. Take advantage of it all and create new memories. September marks the beginning of the change from summer to fall. There has already been so many new things to experience and there are so many more to come.

October:

September has been filled with football games (Go Gators!), exams, and of course DECA. Every month I keep thinking that things are going to settle down a bit and it just keeps getting crazier. As the year kicks into overdrive, remember to always look at the bigger picture. It's hard not to sweat the small stuff, believe me I've had a couple extremely stressful moments, but take time to look at what other states or chapters are up to and fine tune your own big projects. I have personally been blown away this month by the talent and dedication of the Southern Region. Every state that I have spoken with has either a new project or is getting their state super involved. The Facebook groups, community service events, and amazing communication have been incredible and I know you all will keep up the great work!

I want to highlight Florida DECA, not because they are my home state, but because they have made a donation that is truly going to help future DECA students. Florida DECA donated $1000 to the new Loris C. Lorenzi Memorial Scholarship. As national officers, we have asked each state to donate $100 in order to build this scholarship for future members. Florida DECA has gone above and beyond and challenges the rest of the Southern Region and DECA to match them. So, I pass on this challenge: can your state match their generous donation?

November:

This semester is flying by faster that I'd like. ICDC seems like it was only a month ago and LEADS feels like it was yesterday. With everything coming and going so quickly, it's hard to stay focused and keep on track. Every time I turn around there's a new project to be done or a conference to attend. October was an insane month filled with conferences, costumes, DECA, and homecomings. I love talking to each and every one of you throughout the month. It's so great to hear about your conferences and projects.

As competition season approaches I can't help but feel slightly nostalgic. I competed all four years of high school and, next to leadership and serving you, it was my DECA passion. Just remember to work hard and focus but also to have fun with your event. DECA prepares you for your future so much, but it's easy to lose sight of the fun when you're reaching for the gold. Win or lose, try your hardest and go into it with a positive attitude. Believe me, your year will be so much less stressful.

December:

As 2009 comes to a close I can't but reflect on everything that has happened throughout this incredible decade. The easiest thing to notice is that DECA has been a part of my life for half of the time. Even though in the long run five years won't seem that long, these five years have shaped my life more than any other amount of time. I have learned so much and have truly grown as a person because of the experiences this organization has given me. Even though we're about to be declaring New Year's resolutions and looking toward the future I want everyone to take a step back and remember the people and events that have helped get you to where you are now. This past decade has been incredible, but let's take from our past knowledge and growth so we can make this next decade even better.

January:

This past month has been an entirely new experience for me. Normally I'm stressing about my competitive event, making last minute changes, and getting ready for competition; but this year I didn't get to do that. Competition has been one of my favorite things in DECA. It's where you get to show off how hard you've worked throughout the year and hopefully take home some trophies. DECA competitive events give hard proof of how amazing our members are. When you make it to the ICDC in the spring, you know you've accomplished something huge. So as you progress through the levels of competition try your hardest and give it your all. Soon you'll be looking from the other side helping others achieve.

February:

At this year’s Mid-Year Meeting held at the DECA headquarters I realized something: there are only three months left in my term as a national officer. For some of you seniors, that also means three more months left of DECA ever and of high school. When this fact dawned on me, I knew that these three months had to be something special, something memorable, and something spectacular. This can’t happen on its own. We have to do everything we can to pack in as many DECA experiences as we can. This half of the years is the most exciting; it’s the time where you can show off how hard you’ve worked and how great you are. As we approach the end of the DECA year don’t focus on the negative aspects, focus on what you can do to make this year amazing.