As written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on March 8, 2024
SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — Jefferson High School juniors Xavier Gonzalez and Samantha Ogden won first place at the DECA Career Development Conference for their community awareness project focusing on the dangers of distracted driving.
DECA, which stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America, is an organization that prepares young people for future careers.
During the pandemic, Jefferson High School’s DECA chapter fizzled out. However, this year, when the school hired a new business teacher, Ogden decided to try to get it started again. Her brother participated in DECA, so she saw how it helps prepare students for the future.
Gonzalez heard about DECA and thought it would be a great opportunity. As a new chapter, Ogden and Gonzalez decided to team up to compete in the DECA Career Development Conference in Charleston, alongside other high school DECA chapters throughout the state.
They decided to do a project on distracted driving after several of their friends and family members were in car accidents involving a distracted driver. Ogden and Gonzalez realized how big of an issue it was for students and decided to do something about it.
“A lot of people don’t realize how common of an issue it really is,” Ogden said. “Eating food while you drive is considered distracted driving, as well as texting or loud sounds such as music. We wanted to help our age group learn more and stay ‘locked-in’ when they’re driving.”
One way they did this was by creating posters and putting together an information table during school. They shared presentations to the health classes in the school, where they shared a game that showed students the dangers of distracted driving. Through their promotional work, 350 of their classmates signed a poster pledging to end distracted driving.
For the competition, Ogden and Gonzalez prepared for many hours to get their presentation just right. They also had to prepare a 16-page paper talking about the issue and explaining their main points. However, one of their favorite parts was being able to talk with others and raise awareness on this important issue.
“My favorite part has definitely been the people,” Gonzalez said. “They’ve been easy to talk to and willing to learn. One of the biggest things for us was building connections. While we were at the competition, there were other students who encouraged us to practice our presentation with them. It was really great.”
After winning first place in their category, Ogden and Gonzalez will move on to DECA’s international competition, which will be held April 27-30 in Anaheim, California. In the meantime, they plan to continue to raise awareness and prevent distracted driving as they look for sponsors to support their chapter.