Blacksburg, VA – Blacksburg High School senior Georgia-Kathryn Duncan has drawn praise from the Virginia DECA state advisor, Donna Dail, for her exemplary service to both the Blacksburg High School DECA and to the organization statewide as the Region 5 Vice President during the 2020-21 school year.
“As a leader for the state association, Georgia-Kathryn has gone beyond what anyone could have imagined. When many students are struggling to engage and connect during COVID, VA DECA state officers have exceeded expectations to lead students across the state,” said Dail.
Formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America, DECA is a career and technical student organization that prepares over 13,000 emerging leaders and entrepreneurs who are interested in careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. DECA enhances the preparation for college and careers by providing co-curricular programs that integrate into classroom instruction, apply learning, connect to business and promote competition.
Each year, Virginia DECA elects 10 student leaders from across the commonwealth to lead and plan a program of work for Virginia’s 13,000+ members. Duncan is one of those student leaders for the 2020-21 school year.
Virginia DECA state officers, including Duncan, will be honored for their achievements at a virtual recognition during the organization’s state leadership conference on March 3.
Duncan is a four-year member of the Blacksburg High School DECA and has served in various leadership roles for the chapter.
“While Georgia-Kathryn is widely recognized for her leadership ability, I believe it is her dedication to the community that really tells the story for her,” said Kim Radford, BHS market teacher and the DECA advisor at the high school. “[Georgia-Kathryn] has logged over 400 service hours being a Counselor-In-Training at Camp Seafarer, volunteering for various BHS programs like Home for the Holidays, Junior Assembly and Bruin Quest, as well as advocating for public policy changes for persons with food allergies.
“I am so proud of Georgia-Kathryn,” Radford said. “She is a shining star for our BHS DECA program.”
Duncan is a 4.09 GPA student who has also found time to start her own business, Beads by Georgia. She is the daughter of David and Edith-Anne Duncan of Blacksburg and plans to attend Wake Forest University in the fall on the pre-business track.
During this year of COVID, the student leaders stepped out of the ordinary process to create innovative, safe ways for DECA members to engage in community service, complete competitive events and achieve new levels of success. For example, with Duncan as an integral member of the team, a yearlong community service effort, #VADECACares, provided opportunities for Virginia DECA members to focus on kindness, anti-bullying, and mental health through a variety of virtual events, social media challenges, and local activities.
