Yeah, that’s right. This blog is about my magic pin. Last night, yours truly and the rest of the WRLC Social Media Interns finally met and developed our plan of action for this conference…as well as announcing the winners of our Wild Card Challenge. If you’re friends with any of us on Facebook or follow any of us on Twitter(which you totally should by the way..refer to http://getdeca.org/index.php/2011/11/04/meet-the-social-media-team/ for our info) you probably noticed our unusually high level of activity this past week. This was due to the challenges given to us by our rockstar of a mentor, Jonathan Block. The winners of this challenge Victoria Cana and Vincent Velez who did an incredible job promoting this conference won the opportunity to be the voice of Western Region DECA for the duration of this conference and thus will be controlling their Facebook and Twitter pages. But…they weren’t the only ones to win something awesome….Jonathan threw in an extra prize, a runner up that received something very special, magical in fact(you see where this is going?) an all star pin that apparently had magical powers. By simply flashing this pin to others, one can get anything their heart desired. Key cards, extra chairs and even wifi hot spots! I know, pretty awesome stuff.

The title of runner up was given to me, and with it the magical pin. I won because of my blog video, apparently some people actually found it funny(yay!) While we’re on the subject, I’d like to give a special shout out to all of the people who shared and liked my video. I really appreciate the love, so thank you.

–Warning: This is about to get super cheesy–

Yes, having the pin has been awesome, but in reality, all of you can have your very own metaphorical magic pins. It’s a little thing called confidence. In DECA, confidence is key. Whether you’re speaking to important people, giving a speech or doing a DECA role play, confidence is one thing that will always give you a head up on the game. Aside from DECA, this is also extremely true in life. Being confident(do not confuse with cocky) in any situation makes you seem reliable and more importantly influential. It’s the influential people in the world that have the power. So, if you haven’t already connected those dots, confidence=power. I hope you all learn a ton during this conference, harness your inner magic and GET CONFIDENT.

Andy from Teamn Tri did an amazing job helping kids GET WALL STREET!

Kids loved him because he had great audience involvement.

Numerous students were given the opportunity to listen to his presentation on investment, banking, economics, finance, etc. Andy was a former DECA member. His first conference was WRLC exactly fourteen years ago.

1.) Think about both Facebook and Twitter like you are at a party — keep it casual and be you.

2.) Be responsive — every time someone comments, comment back. Every single time.

3.) Post on twitter 4 to 6 times a day, minimum.

4.) Post to Facebook 2-4 times a day, maximum. If you’re Facebooking too often, people will get annoyed, and Facebook (because of its algorithms) will make it so that people see your posts less.

Jonathan F. Block’s 3 hints for how to land your first gig:

1.) Internships

2.) Internships

3.) Internships

Find someone you want to work for, and ask them if you can work for them for free. Don’t be afraid to work for free — serving people gets you where you want to be. You just have to make sure you’re working for someone that you want to work for, because that’s how you’re going to get the best experience possible.

As the Executive Director of California DECA Ryan Underwood stated this morning at the end of the Energizer Session, “Veterans Day is the day we honor the people who have served us by being the best we can be.” This was probably one the most insightful things I’ve heard throughout this conference, and also one of the truest. While we Get DECA! over the next 2 days, and grow as leaders and entrepreneurs, it’s always important to remember how we honor those in service by taking advantage of the opportunities they have sacrificed to give us. Get DECA, and be the best you can be!

The aspiring leaders of Western Region DECA reconvened for a much more casual and relaxed get-together after the Get PSYCHED opening session. Kelly Barnes got us all energized and pumped, which included a sing-off and dancing to his version of YMCA, which, all I can say is, quite the icebreaker

We rounded the night off with a game of Leadership Circus, which included a bunch of running (and occasional bump-ins) and completing a series of random tasks. Props to those guys who went around saying “I’m a beautiful lady” – that shows dedication and a willingness to just have fun!

That’s all for tonight – I’ll see you all tomorrow!

Ling

California DECA’s amazing state officers and advisors got us all hyped for WRLC! We even played ninja, can you get more awesome than that?

Jose Romero (VP of Chapter Development), Sri Muppidi (VP of Civic Consciousness), Cassie Hwang, Siyang Qiu (VP of Public Relations), Geena Dai (VP of Southern California), Ling Zeng, Dyan Khor, Kyungna Kim

California DECA plays ninja!