With two of the three state officers hailing from Mt. Hope, the school will very well represented in DC

DECA is one of the most popular clubs at Mt. Hope High School, and perhaps no two members are as committed to the group as seniors Sarah Withers and Jillian Kenny.

Sarah, the daughter of Ann Marie and Peter Withers of Warren, is the Rhode Island state president. Jillian, daughter of Kelly and Sean Kenny of Bristol, is the Rhode Island state secretary. They’re scheduled to represent Rhode Island, along with the state vice president, a student from Cranston East, at the Ultimate DECA Power Trip, a conference in Washington, DC from Nov. 15 to 17. The three-day, intensive conference will feature learning labs teaching networking, communication and leadership skills.

DECA is an acronym, but what it stands for (Distributive Education Clubs of America) doesn’t mean anything to today’s DECA, though the name has stood. The club is more readily defined by its mission, to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. At Mt. Hope, the club serves as the face of the student body, volunteering at school events, including open houses, freshmen orientation, and parent-teacher nights; running fundraisers for charity; and operating the school store.

Sarah and Jillian hope to gain valuable insights that they can then bring home and share with students at both the state and local level, including public speaking, networking, and leadership skills.

“DECA has opened a lot of doors, for both of us,” said Jillian, who hopes to major in business with a concentration in marketing, or perhaps Spanish, in college. For Sarah, who wants to study business and communications, DECA has helped her “find out who I am as a person, and figure out what I want to do in life.”

The trip will cost each student about $750, including hotel, flights and conference registration, and they would be very grateful for help from the community. They have a fundraising site at https://fundly.com/deca-leadership-coference; they have also received checks at Mt Hope High School, 180 Chestnut St., Bristol, 02809, made out to Mt. Hope DECA with Sarah and Jillian’s names in the memo line.