Jasmine Somaya '25

Lasell’s DECA prepares students in the fashion and business fields to be community oriented, professionally responsible, and experienced leader. 

In DECA, college students from around the world compete by presenting business cases to industry professionals.

I competed in the Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in San Francisco. I'm a Fashion Media and Marketing major, and I competed within the fashion category and presented two merchandizing and marketing case studies. I created two business proposals and presented them to the judges. I was in the Top 5 out of 50 other participants who competed in the same category. 

I just joined DECA this year. I’m so glad I did and I‘m grateful Professor Weiss encouraged me to join.  I gained so much experience like how to create a professional slide deck, how to present and pitch business ideas, and understand how budgets and finances align with a company’s overall brand and strategy. 

DECA has helped me develop my understanding of business so I’m better prepared for my career in marketing and business. 

I toured Lasell the year before I transferred and I really liked the sense of community and the focus on connected learning. That's what ultimately made me decide to come to Lasell. I've really been able to gain that hands-on experience that I did not have at my previous school. Besides DECA, I’ve been a part of Studio1851, Lasell’s student-run fashion retail store, and I helped start Lasell’s fashion thrift store – gaining experiences that I’ll be able to apply in my career.  

> Lasell's DECA chapter Instagram