Guest post by Claire B + Megan S, OOHS Junior Marketing students + DECA members

Natalie Jenkins is a Junior at the University of Cincinnati as a double major in marketing and entrepreneurship. She graduated from Orange in 2021. In her time at OOHS she was a part of the field hockey team, drumline and was a member of DECA, which helped her a lot when she went to college. 

• What were your favorite aspects of DECA?

“My overall favorite aspect of DECA was being able to have a class that I was actually interested in. I knew I wanted to go into business so being able to get that path started during high school was very beneficial for me.”

• Any tips for current DECA members?

“One tip that I would give current DECA members is to pay attention now because a lot of things you learn in class will help you in college business classes and the real world.”

• How do you use what you learned in DECA today?

“At UC one of the major first year business projects is a SWOT analysis of a company in the Cincinnati area. Going into my first year already, having done a SWOT analysis in DECA helped me tremendously. Aside from that, I feel like I learned professionalism from competing in competitions that helped prepare me for interviews and professional events in general.”

• What was your favorite part of DECA?

“My favorite part of DECA was that everyone in the class actually wanted to be there and was interested in business.”

• What is your job now and how does it relate to marketing?

“I currently work for a real estate agent in Cincinnati as a social media coordinator. My coworker and I are currently aiming to help him grow his overall social media following to gain a wider customer base. Marketing through social media is extremely important in this day and age so getting first hand experience and quite a bit of creative control has been extremely beneficial to my growth in the business world.”