New York DECA States have come to an end with dedicated members winning well-deserved medals. Additionally, the students who will become state officers have been elected. Syosset’s very own Benji Falkove, has been elected Vice President of Finance.

Benji ran against many talented students, including Josh Kleyner, another running DECA member from Syosset. Both Benji and Josh are juniors who have three years of experience in DECA. It takes many leadership qualities to run for this role. Benji said, “I personally believe that being a good problem solver, very adaptable, and a dedicated hard worker aided me the most in truly prospering while running. But also, I understand that an organization can only thrive if its members thrive. So, it is my role to work with my fellow officers to help members succeed and reach their utmost potential.”

Now as VP of Finance for New York, Benji has big shoes to fill. He said, “I would like to implement a variety of new ideas to improve New York DECA. The biggest challenge to joining is the cost. Not all students have the resources and money expendable for the trips and clothing. To alleviate this issue, DECA could implement statewide fundraisers, new programs such as a jacket recycling program and the expansion of the scholarship program by increasing awareness on Instagram, expanding it to ICDC and making more scholarships available. This will reduce the cost of participation and will encourage growth.”

The competitors in Syosset DECA are some of the strongest in New York. However, there is still room for improvement. “I personally believe that for a DECA member to truly succeed in competition is simply communication skills and creativity. The judges we all present in front of hear the same things over and over, so it is easy to get lost in the crowd. The best thing is to have creative and outside of the box ideas to separate yourself and good public speaking as the cherry on top. This will allow yourself to be differentiated from the competition while demonstrating why you should be number one,” said Benji.

Benji Falkove will surely make an impact and Syosset is very excited to see what he has in store for DECA in our school and all of New York. He said, “The mantra I always follow is that the difference between try and triumph is just putting a little ‘umph.”