On October 28, at Hazen, the CTSO JAM (Career and Technical Student Organization Joint Activities Meeting) took place for the first time since the pandemic. This event was a collaboration across the clubs DECA, FBLA, and HOSA, led completely by their student board members. Approximately 100 Hazen, Lindbergh, and Renton club members gathered at Hazen. This event was held in order to provide some context to what it is like to be in these clubs and provide an enriching experience to explore career opportunities.
All three of these clubs strive to give students opportunities and exposure to businesses and professions in the real world through competitive events and leadership conventions. Competitive events include presentations, roleplays, and testing events. These competitions give students the opportunity to explore various aspects of how businesses work and the roles of professionals to figure out where their passion lies.
The CTSO JAM started with an opening ceremony conducted by the Hazen club’s board members along with a guest speaker, Kelsie White. Kelsie White is a finance expert who focuses on educating young adults on how to start off their financial journey on a good note. She gave a brief presentation about debit vs. credit and how to make smart financial decisions early on to set young adults up for success. Then, students had the opportunity to choose fun and interactive workshops they wanted to explore and learn more from. Some of these workshops included CTSO Jeopardy and Shark Tank.
Attendees were also assigned a time to participate in a mock roleplay competition. They were given a scenario and 15 minutes to prepare before presenting in front of a judge. This particular role play was a job interview for a summer internship. To conclude the CTSO JAM, the closing ceremony included an awards ceremony for the mock competition/interviews. Participants had a chance to get a glimpse into what it looks like to be on stage and win an award in front of a proud audience. The first-place winner for the mock interview was a Hazen Freshman student, Isa Lau.
Overall, the CTSO JAM was a complete success. It achieved its goal of spreading information about each club’s mission and the experience one would take away from joining the club(s). Christina Troung (11), the historian for Hazen’s HOSA stated, “The CTSO was very well planned and very well organized for being planned by students. It was a great opportunity for people to learn from.” Also, Senuki Atapattu (11), one of FBLA’s vice presidents who helped organize the event thought, “The CTSO JAM went really well. I enjoyed all of the different workshops and it was nice to meet new people from other CTSOs.” Additionally, Ethan Nguyen (11) the vice president of FBLA said, “I enjoyed the CTSO JAM! The planning was stressful, but seeing the event be successful was very fulfilling.”
Christina, Senuki, Ethan, and all of the other board members’ hard work and contribution to arranging the CTSO JAM helped the event run smoothly and ensured everyone had a great time learning and networking.
Distributive Education Clubs of America
As stated on DECA’s official website, their mission is to, “Prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.” DECA revolves around its four core values of innovation, teamwork, competency, and integrity. With a growing 13,000 club members in just Washington state and 227,000 members worldwide (nearly all 50 United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Germany), DECA is extending its opportunities to students all over the world.
Christina Truong (11) is also a DECA member who shares the skills she learned from being in DECA, “Leadership and self-discipline are very important if you want to succeed.” She advises new members to, “[…] explore what events you like so you can be set on which ones you want to do in your junior and senior years.”
Learn more about DECA at: https://www.deca.org/
Future Business Leaders of America
As a club, FBLA seeks to “…inspire and prepare students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences.” Through the club motto of “service, education, and progress,” FBLA hopes to build a new generation of confident young business leaders who are interested in understanding the American business enterprise.
Seunki Atapattu (11) serves as one of Hazen FBLA’s vice president who joined
FBLA for “[…] a chance to build leadership skills, grow [her] network as well as learn more about business concepts.” A word of advice she would offer to an incoming member would be “[…] don’t be scared to get involved and have fun!”
From being in FBLA, Ethan Nguyen (11) “[…] learned effective presentation and public speaking skills. [He’s] also gained a better understanding of potential career paths for [him] to take in the future, such as business and marketing.” A message he would share with a new member is to, “Have Fun! Make connections and find new friends. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!”
Learn more about FBLA at: https://www.fbla.org/
Health Occupations Students of America
HOSA’s mission is to, “[…] empower Future Health Professionals to become leaders in the global health community, through education, collaboration, and experience.” Through educating and providing exposure to the health industry, HOSA aims to inspire young adults to take the initiative to enhance the delivery of quality health care to everyone.
Christina Truong (11) gives a helpful tip to be successful in HOSA, “Explore all of the events and choose one to really focus your attention on.” She adds, “Also, just remember that this is just a club and it’s only done for fun. So it’s okay to feel nervous. You don’t lose anything from it so just have fun and remember this is a learning experience, don’t take it too seriously.”
Learn more about HOSA at: https://hosa.org/
The Hazen CTSO JAM’s success was a product of DECA, FBLA, and HOSA board member’s collective hard work and a display of their strong work ethic, teamwork, and passion. With what they’ve learned from their clubs, they held an informative meeting full of fun activities in hopes of opening doors to opportunities for building future leaders.
