Anish Paudel, Class of 2023

Who was your DECA Advisor? Todd Chiles

Were you an officer? I was the President of our chapter.

What college, university, or trade school are you currently attending? University of Texas at Dallas

What is your major field of study? Marketing and Global Business (Double Major)

How has or did DECA help you at your college, university, or trade school? In high school, DECA has helped me in many ways. First, the networking at DECA events brings together students from different institutions, allowing them to network with peers, industry professionals, and potential employers. Building a solid professional network can open doors to internships, job opportunities, and mentorships. With my role as the 2022-23 President of the Independence High School Chapter, I have developed my leadership abilities, organizational skills, and the ability to manage and motivate teams. Lastly, since I will be pursuing a marketing degree, my DECA event was Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making (STDM). It helped me develop the skills that I will need in the future.

Please share your favorite DECA memory with us. CDC in Dallas in March 2023 was one of my peak memories. I had lots of fun hanging out with my DECA subordinates/members during the trip with all the fun activities on the agenda they had for us. I got to see people from my old middle school who went to different high schools and got to network with others around the state.

What advice do you have for current members? What would you tell yourself if you could go back? For current members, I would say try your best in everything in life ESPECIALLY DECA! For example, in State CDC my test scores weren't the best, but I and my partner got a 98 on our roleplay! So, if you try in your everyday life you'll be rewarded and blindsided with success.

What are your plans for the future? Get my double major (Marketing and Global Business) at UTD (possibly transfer) then either get my master's or go into consulting or marketing management.

What are your career goals and aspirations? Be more successful than my parents.

Would you please share your speech from the awards banquet with us? I am happy to announce my retirement as 2022/23 DECA President at Independence High School.

I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey that we have all been on. This year has been one of growth, learning, and achievement for our club, and I am so proud of what we have accomplished together.

So, a big thank you to our advisor Todd Chiles, who has put up with our crazy ideas and never-ending questions. To our shadow advisor Shelby Chiles, who has been the Robin to our Batman. And to our officer team, who have managed to keep this ship afloat. Special thanks to Dr. Thomas Ray III.

But none of this would be possible without the hard work of each and every member of our club. I am so grateful for the passion and commitment that you have brought to DECA this year. They have shown that anything is possible when we work together as a team and support each other in our goals.

Let us also look forward to the future with excitement, knowing that we have the strength and resilience to overcome any challenges that come our way.

Thank you all for making this year such a success.

I was honored to be your President and can't wait to see what we will achieve together in the future.