aka: I Swear This is Still a Science Blog, Kind Of.

I know. I know. You’re here for brain stuff. Synapses and serotonin. Maybe a little EEG action. And this blog is literally called Mind & Medicine, not Stocks & Suits, so like… why am I suddenly talking about business

Well, spoiler alert: I’m not talking about Wall Street, and I have no idea how to invest in anything other than my 8-hours-of-sleep-per-night agenda (which I rarely follow). So if you’re here hoping for stock tips, I’m flattered but also… you’re in the wrong place.

What I am talking about is DECA.

Yep. DECA. A very all-caps kind of club. If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry — I didn’t either when I joined. Back in freshman year, I was just trying out electives while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Took a business class. Hated it. Thought I was done with the whole business world thing forever.

Plot twist: I wasn’t.

Somewhere between hating spreadsheets and accidentally saying “synergy” in a presentation, I stumbled into DECA — this massive competition-based club that felt like Shark Tank meets mock trial meets caffeine-fueled high school drama. And somehow… I liked it. A lot.

So here’s the thing: I’m still the neuro girl. Still obsessed with medicine. Still totally planning on wearing scrubs one day. But I also spend weekends wearing blazers and talking about restaurant inventory turnover rates like my life depends on it (sometimes it kind of does — shoutout to DECA finals).

And because I promised to be honest with you here — like really honest — I want to let you in on this weird, wonderful side of my story too.

So… welcome to my mini-series:
Neuro Kid Takes on Business.

Here’s what we’re diving into:

• Fake It Till You State It: my first year in DECA, still not really sure what I’m doing
• Districts vs. States vs. Internationals: what’s the difference between them
• The Exam: what’s actually on it, how I study, and why Quizlet is my best friend
• The Role Play: how to make judges fall in love with your fictional business plan in under 10 minutes
• ICDC Diaries, Pt. 1: aka “Day One and Two”
• ICDC Diaries, Pt. 2: testing, competing, and surviving it all
• ICDC Diaries, Pt. 3: the awards ceremony, the tears (happy or stressed? You’ll never know), and the finale

If you’re a DECA kid, maybe this will feel a little too real. If you’re not, maybe you’ll get curious. Either way, I hope this gives you a real look at what it’s like to blend two very different worlds — business and medicine — in one very chaotic high school life.

Let’s get into it.