Learn business by doing business.
In DECA, you'll pick a competitive event, dig into the industry behind it, and present your ideas to judges who actually work in that field. You don't need any experience or a business class to get started, and membership for 2026-27 is open right now.
Every other Friday, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 127
Member meetings are every other Friday after school, and the officer team meets on the Fridays in between. New members are welcome at every meeting, and you don't need any experience, so please come even if you've missed a few. Every meeting is practice for competition, so the more of them you're at, the readier you'll be when we get to Regional.
Here's how we spend our time together:
- We run practice role-plays, judged by our officers and our business partners
- We work through practice exams built from DECA's published performance indicators
- We build written events together, and an advisor reads your drafts
- We run a full mock competition before every conference
2nd Place: Largest % Increase in Membership
Kentucky DECA recognized our chapter for membership growth in 2025-26, and only one chapter in the commonwealth grew faster. We're proud of that, and we'd love for you to be part of what comes next.
What our members earned last season
In 2025-26 our members placed at the Regional conference, the state conference in Louisville, and the international conference in Atlanta, and DECA Inc. recognized the chapter at the Achievement Level in its national Membership Campaign. Every one of them started by picking a competitive event, which is the area you focus on and are judged in all year.
A top 10 score at ICDC
Meibelle Wiesmann finished in the top 10 on the Marketing Cluster exam at the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, competing in Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making. Lafayette was one of only three Kentucky schools with a competitor on the medal stage.
Three state championships
Lafayette members won first place in three events at the State Career Development Conference, and thirteen entries finished in the top four. Those finishes are what sent our delegation on to the international conference.
Awards of Excellence
Three Lafayette entries earned an Award of Excellence at ICDC, and two members earned the American Marketing Association's Associate in Marketing Management certification on the strength of their exam scores there.
What a year in DECA looks like
DECA is co-curricular, which means it builds on what you're already learning in class instead of competing with it. Here's what a typical year looks like.
Choose a competitive event
A competitive event is the area you'll focus on all year. DECA offers 60 of them, from sports and entertainment marketing to financial consulting to launching a start-up. We'll help you find one that fits, and then we practice for it together all year.
Solve a real business problem
In a role-play, you're handed a business scenario and some time to prepare. Then you present your solution to a judge who works in that industry and asks you questions the way a colleague would. It feels big the first time, and you'll get better every time you do it.
Compete at three levels
Everyone starts at the Regional conference at Eastern Kentucky University in January. Finish high enough and you'll advance to the State Career Development Conference (SCDC) in Louisville. Top finishers at State join the Kentucky delegation to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Anaheim, California, April 17-20, 2027.
Build a record you can use
Placing at State or ICDC, serving as an officer, and earning a DECA scholarship all stand out on a college application and in an interview. We'll help you learn to talk about what you've accomplished.
You don't need a business class
Any Lafayette student can join, and membership is open right now. Most of our members take a business or marketing course, but plenty join before they've taken one, and that's completely fine.
These are the skills employers look for, and DECA is where you'll practice them:
- Presenting to an adult you've never met, without a script
- Interviewing, dressing professionally, and introducing yourself well
- Reading a budget, setting a price, and managing your own money
- Taking a project from an idea to a deadline
- Working a room full of people you haven't met yet
Our 2026-27 community projects
Service is a big part of who we are. Our officer team picked two projects for this year, and we work on both of them together at meetings.
Teaching personal finance to younger students
We're building a personal finance curriculum for elementary students and bringing it to our feeder elementary schools, so they learn how money works long before they have to manage any. Standing in front of a classroom and explaining what you know is also the best preparation there is for presenting to a judge, and the work lines up with DECA's Financial Literacy Project.
Adopting a storm drain near campus
Through Lexington's Adopt a Storm Drain program, we're adopting a drain near campus, designing an eco-friendly message to paint on it, and keeping it clear of leaves and litter all year. Everything that goes down a storm drain runs straight into a creek, so this is one corner of Lexington we can look after ourselves. It fits DECA's Community Awareness Project as well.
From Room 127 to the international stage
Chapter meetings
We meet every other Friday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 127. That's where we prepare for competition, work on chapter projects, and hear from people who do this work for a living. We take attendance at every meeting.
Regional conference
Your competition year starts at the Regional conference at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. How far you advance depends on where you finish and on the quota set for your event.
State conference
The State Career Development Conference, or SCDC, is an overnight trip to the Hyatt Regency in downtown Louisville. It's where Kentucky placement is decided and where members earn their spot at the international conference.
ICDC
The International Career Development Conference, or ICDC, brings together more than 25,000 students, advisors, and business professionals, and more than 10,000 of them compete. The 2027 conference is in Anaheim, California, April 17-20.
Coming up
Meetings, deadlines, and conference dates, pulled straight from our chapter calendar. We also share what we're up to on Instagram at @lafayette.deca.
- Oct23Lafayette DECA Officer MeetingOfficers only
- Oct30Fall Officer WorkshopConference
- Nov6Lafayette DECA Member MeetingAll members
- Nov13Lafayette DECA Officer MeetingOfficers only
Students lead this chapter
Seven officers lead Lafayette DECA this year. Julie Li, our President, oversees Finance, Competition, and Leadership, and Charlie Reed, our Executive Vice President, oversees Marketing and Hospitality. Officer applications open every spring, and we'd love to see you apply, even if you don't feel quite ready yet.
Julie Li
Charlie Reed
Haiwen Shi
Jiya Sheth
Graham McDonald
Alexandra Joiner-Garcia
Athena Saturday
There's a place for you in Lafayette DECA.
Membership for 2026-27 is open, and we'd love for you to join us. Dues are $35 for 2026-27, due Friday, September 25, and you can pay by cash or by check made out to Lafayette High School. Dues cover your national, state, and chapter membership and make you eligible to compete. We meet every other Friday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 127, so feel free to sit in on a meeting before you decide.