NAMB outreach makes its mark: Contributes to DECA international conferenceBob ArmbrusterDECA, ICDC, scholarships, NAMB, GAMB, International Career Development Conference
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers recently
participated in an international conference as a part of its
outreach program. Atlanta and the Georgia state affiliate of DECA
proudly hosted the late-April 2008 DECA 62nd International Career
Development Conference (ICDC). More than 15,000 DECA college and
high school students from across the country and Canada, called
Atlanta their home for a couple weeks, while competing for various
scholarships and awards in 37 events. NAMB and several of its
members from its Georgia state affiliate, the Georgia Association
of Mortgage Brokers, played integral roles in contributing to its
success.
DECA is an international marketing organization based in Reston,
Va., and has a membership roster of more than 15,000 college and
185,000 high school students in every state in the U.S., the
territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, as well as every province in
Canada, Mexico and Germany. During the school year, participating
college and high schools hold competitive events on a local, state
and regional basis. The various winners move on to the DECA
International Conference at their own expense, to compete for
national scholarships and awards. The national event winners'
awards range from $100 to $10,000, while the scholarships range
from $1,000 to $5,000 annually. The Atlanta Conference awarded over
$10 million in cash prizes and scholarships to 4,000-plus students,
but what is special about this group is the enthusiasm and energies
expounded during the competitions and at the social events, plus
the experiences each took back home with them.
In 2005, NAMB entered into a partnership with DECA to foster a
project dedicated to the financial literacy and career development
of high school students. Through the efforts of NAMBs state
affiliates, more than $300,000 has been contributed to scholarships
since its inception. This year, the DECA ICDC came to Atlanta,
providing NAMB the opportunity to extend its outreach program to an
international arena.
Several GAMB members, both professional and affiliate,
contributed hours to work as judges at the competitions. They had
the opportunity to personally witness the efforts of participants
who impressed them with their knowledge, charts and graphs, and
verbal skills in areas such as sports and entertainment
decision-making, retailing, fashion marketing and merchandising,
automotive services marketing, business law and ethics, franchising
business marketing, hotel and lodging marketing, advertising,
financial services team research, accounting, and financial
analysis, to name just a few. The latter three events were
sponsored by NAMB.
Another area within the conference was the Mentorship Program,
where 500 chosen students get to move around a hall of tables, each
manned by an executive of a major company or organization. The
students and executives exchanged views about themselves, and the
students interview the executives about their business experiences.
The session lasted three hours, and the questions proved very
challenging, such as "What's the hardest business decision you ever
had to make?," "What qualities do you look for in interviewing a
possible successor?," "How do you measure success?," and "How do
you separate business and personal lives?"
Both NAMB and GAMB Past President Bob Armbruster, and GAMB
Immediate Past President J.D. Crowe participated in this event and
walked away shaking their heads and smiling ... thankful for the
opportunity to support this program. Events like this need the
support of business, and investment in our youth attracts many
companies, both locally and nationwide. Here is a listing of a few
who participated in the Atlanta DECA Conference: 7-Eleven, ESPN,
Foot Locker, J.C. Penney Company, Marriott International, NBA
Properties, Sears Holding Corporation, Target, Universal Studios
and USA Today, among others. This is pretty good company for NAMB
to share in its outreach efforts. It provides a venue for
partnering and investing in students on a national scale, while
supporting students moving into college life locally. Moreover, it
provides local Mortgage Brokers with the opportunity to interface
with faculty and students in promoting financial literacy and,
hopefully, career development.
Was it worth it? You bet it was! Next year's DECA Conference is
being held in Anaheim, Calif., and the California Association of
Mortgage Brokers is already calling for tips on becoming involved.
There will be local raffles held benefiting the DECA program at
both NAMB and state affiliate events in the coming year, so be on
the lookout for your opportunity to win and support this important
program and investment in our future. "We at DECA are looking
forward to next year's event in Anaheim, Calif.," said DECA
National Executive Director Dr. Ed Davis. "We are excited that
NAMB's state affiliates have supported our cause and look forward
to future participation by NAMB and its state affiliates next year
in Anaheim and in the future."
Many thanks to those who volunteered their valuable gift of time
and participated to help make this year's Atlanta conference, one
of DECA's best to date. The following is a list of winners of
NAMB-sponsored DECA scholarships. We wish them the best of luck in
the future as they pursue their academic and professional
goals.
Joey Bruno of Amador Valley High School in California
Matt Carlucci of Amador Valley High School in California
Jessica Chan of Klamath Union High School in Oregon
Irene Choi of Temecula Valley High School in California
Christopher Condron of Rancho Bernardo High School in
California
Maura Dean of Edmond Memorial High School in Oklahoma
John Dunlap of Little Falls Community High School in
Minnesota
Susan Eckman of Boulder Creek High School in Arizona
Luke Freeman of Mt. Whitney High School in California
Megan French of Bend Senior High School in Oregon
Tyler Gouge of Francis Howell High School in Missouri
Amy Grotts of Park Hill South High School in Missouri
Alyssa Martinez of Desert Vista High School in Arizona
Justin Mullaney of Amador Valley High School in California
Uzo Ogu of Dulles High School in Texas
Amanda Parks of Mt. Whitney High School in California
Kumuda Pradhan of Sunrise Mountain High School in Arizona
Joshua Shankle of Haltom High School in Texas
Ryan Sonnenberg of Arizona
Thien Tang of Wichita High School East in Kansas
Meghan Tereniak of South Forsyth High School in Georgia
Julie Tuttle of North Forsyth High School in Georgia
Brittanie Vogen of Naugatuck High School in Connecticut
Michael Wilson of Oak Mountain High School in Alabama
Patag Xiong of Golden Valley High School in California
Bob Armbruster is past president of the National Association
of Mortgage Brokers and the Georgia Association of Mortgage
Brokers. He may be reached at (404) 313-7855 or e-mail
[email protected].
