Harish Ganesh

Littleton High School

“My sophomore year, a group of seniors at my school founded Littleton DECA. I wasn't really in any clubs, so I decided to join, and I chose the Professional Selling Event because my baseball coaches had always complimented me on my sales abilities during our fundraisers. To my own surprise, I was a state finalist that year. Going from a small town like Littleton to states was an incredible experience, meeting kids from as far as Plymouth and meeting industry professionals like the Vice President of Citizens Bank. Staying in a hotel with my fellow DECA competitors and the energy at award sessions felt unreal. The following year, I was determined to qualify for ICDC, just to see the West Coast for the first time. I had never been further west than Orlando, Florida, and I knew I wanted to see it. I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I wanted to try something new, so I switched my event to Financial Consulting. That year, I achieved my goal of qualifying for ICDC, and surpassed it by winning top 10 exam scorer and glass. Traveling from my small town to the other side of America and meeting people from across the world, places like California, Washington, China, Spain, Florida, North Dakota, and Nevada was unbelievable, and undoubtedly it was the people I met that made my DECA experience truly worthwhile. This year, I've switched events again to Hospitality & Tourism Professional Selling, and I'm excited to strive for Orlando and more.”

— Harish, when asked about his DECA journey

What would you want to tell younger members?

“Network! Whether you realize it or not, the people around you have valuable feedback to give you and can help you. I built a strong connection with my school's assistant baseball coach, a sales professional himself, and he helped me polish my presentation and win glass. At states, I met speakers who have offered to help me obtain an internship. I've met fellow competitors at the state and international levels who've done amazing things in and outside of DECA. Take the time to meet as many people as you can at DECA conferences, they really are the best part of this organization. As for competition specifically, an underrated tip I would give is making a DECA playlist to listen to before your exam and competition. My included songs like "I Wonder," "Viva la Vida," and "Forever." Work hard on your exam scores and presentations, but having a playlist to get you in the mindset was very important in helping me both hype myself up and calm down at the same time, it truly puts you in the right headspace. I hope this helped and good luck competitors!”