Guest post by Caroline D

Charlie DeBolt is a 2021 DECA & Orange graduate. He is currently a senior at the University of Dayton, majoring in Sports Management with a minor in Business Administration. We interviewed him as part of our DECA ALUMNI SUCCESS STORIES and found out a lot of great info!

Over this past summer, Charlie focused on building up his resume as he worked with the Columbus Crew and Ohio State Athletics. He hot the opportunity to work on unique events such as the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge and the MLS All-Star Game in addition to numerous Columbus Crew games with the organization. He was also able to work Breakaway Festival, Sonic Temple, and Kenny Chesney at the Historic Crew stadium all of which saw over 20,000+ fans each day! While at Ohio State, he worked events such as Buckeye Country Superfest at Ohio Stadium, Earth, Wind, and Fire at the Schottenstein Center, as well as Hozier, Chris Stapleton, and more. When asked about these experiences Charlie said “Overall both were great experiences in relatively new environments for me so I was able to learn and grow a lot throughout the summer.”

While catching up with Charlie he reflected on his time here at Orange and in DECA.

What was your favorite part of DECA?

“My favorite part of DECA was getting to learn about things I was genuinely interested in and being a part of a group that enjoyed learning and pushing each other to do better.”

What is one of your biggest acheivements that you’re most proud of since graduating?

“One of my biggest achievements that I am most proud of would have to be my opportunity to get to work at the NCAA First Four the past 3 years, and gain an immense amount of experience.”  

What do you miss most about DECA?

“I miss the competition days in DECA when everyone got to show off what they’d been working on and then after it was done getting to hang out and have fun and celebrate anyone who won their event.”

Any advice for seniors that are graduating soon? 

“Soak it all in, the rest of this year plus the next 4 years are about as fun as it gets so enjoy it as much as you can!”

What advice would you give to current DECA members?

“If you don’t know what you want to do in the future, but really enjoy what you are doing in DECA, look for majors, jobs, or anything related to what you like now and see what opportunities are available in the future.”

This spring Charlie will be graduating from the University of Dayton in Mayand plans on getting a full time job in the Sports Operations Industry when he does!

Thanks for your time Charlie!