Nevada DECA's 2010-2011 State Officers

2010-2011 State Officer Team Pictures

2010-2011 State Officer Biographies

Chao Huang, State President

Chao Huang is your Nevada DECA State President for the 2010-2011 membership year. Chao was born in November 1992 on the island of Saipan and lived in China for 10 years prior to moving to Las Vegas. He is now a proud member of Clark High School’s Academy of Finance program. Last year he was your Nevada DECA State Secretary. He dedicated most of his time working to ensure that DECA members had the chance to experience everything DECA has to offer. He will do his best in the upcoming year to serve the State Officer Team, advisors, and most importantly, Nevada DECA members.

Chao is a member of Clark’s varsity golf team, Chamber Orchestra, Key Club and FBLA. He believes that high school students should enjoy themselves while learning. He is passionate about learning while school is in session as well as participating in extracurricular activities because he believes students should have a well-rounded experience.

Chao plans to attend college where he will seek a degree in International Business. He believes that in today’s world, business is international and countries must work together to succeed.

Sun Tzu said “Know thy self; know thy enemy, a thousand battles, a thousand victories.” Chao believes that this quote is very important for all members to know because if one knows what’s needed to be fixed then he or she will know how to succeed!

Kiara Bass, State Secretary

Kiara Bass is ecstatic to be a part of the 2010-2011Nevada DECA Officer Team. Not only does she have many ideas to help Nevada DECA, but she wants to hear feedback from chapters around Nevada so that the state association can move forward.

Kiara Bass was born on February 8, 1993 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. When her father returned from serving in the military overseas, her family decided to move to Las Vegas to join other relatives who moved there in previous years. Since then she has been living and attending school in Las Vegas. She first took interest in the business world when her uncle showed her what he did for a living, which is financing and accounting. Ever since that day, she has wanted to pursue a career outside the mediocre. She is currently a junior at Northwest Career and Technical Academy and aspires to pursue a career in public relations. In her spare time she enjoys hanging out with friends and experimenting with different cultural foods.

Today, she is your Nevada DECA State Secretary. Kiara is excited to meet and interact with members of Nevada DECA. She lives her life by a number of quotes, but one of her favorites is “I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then” from Lewis Carroll. As this quote indicates, her focus is on looking ahead for what is best for the future.

Dafne Vargas, Vice President of Membership

Dafne Vargas is eager to serve Nevada well as your 2010-2011 Nevada DECA Vice President of Membership. She would like to thank all of the members for electing her, and promises to serve Nevada DECA to the best of her ability. 

Dafne was born in Mexico City on January 1, 1994. She lived in Mexico City until she was seven years old, when she and her family moved to Las Vegas.  Two years later she moved to El Paso, Texas where she lived for four years before returning to Las Vegas to attend high school in Nevada.  Since then, Dafne has attended Northwest Career and Technical Academy for three years. She is involved in several activities in school besides DECA including the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), the National Honor Society (NHS) and Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA). In addition to being involved at school activities, she has been a part of the Arbor View swim team since her freshman year, and is a volunteer coach for the YMCA. Although she is very busy, she always has time to have fun and enjoy life.

Dafne ran for her position so that she could serve all of the members of DECA.  She has many plans to make this DECA year successful and memorable, and believes that it is time for Nevada DECA to leave a mark. She wants to show that DECA members are ready to think outside the box in terms of recruiting members to the organization. Dafne believes that with perseverance, anything can be done, because as Napoleon Bonaparte said “Victory belongs to the most persevering.” Feel free to contact her at any time with your questions or concerns!

Jennifer Qian, Vice President of Publicity

Jennifer Qian attends Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas, and is thrilled to serve as your Nevada DECA Vice President of Publicity for 2010-2011. She moved from China just six months before becoming a State Officer, and is curious about everything around her.  According to the people in her life, Jennifer’s strengths are her good decision-making and her ability to be sincere with others.

In addition to being a passionate Nevada DECA State Officer, Jennifer loves dancing, swimming, drawing and reading books. Being involved in various activities has also helped her learn how to organize her time well. She has been fortunate enough to have experiences such as a leadership training camp, organizing a cultural fair, and especially being Class President, which have given her not only improved leadership skills, but also better communicating abilities.

Although she is still new to DECA, she has learned a lot from it. DECA is a great opportunity for marketing and business students to meet more people who have similar interests while also helping them prepare for success. She believes that life becomes more complete and colorful when people try new things and learn how to rely on their own abilities, which is why one of her favorite quotes is “Believe that everything you can imagine, you can make real.” She is excited to work alongside the 2010-2011 Nevada DECA State Officer Team and can’t wait to meet as many DECA members as she can throughout her year in office.

Katie Gill, Southern Nevada Vice President

Katie Gill is your Vice President of Southern Nevada for the 2010-2011 year.  She was born in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 12, 1994, and currently attends East Career and Technical Academy in the hospitality and marketing program.

Academically, Katie is committed to DECA, to learning, and to her own success.  Her honesty and hard work have gotten her very far not only in academics, but in life.  Katie is a very creative and friendly person who cares about the wants and needs of others, and who believes that people can accomplish anything with time and effort.  She encourages others to be the best that they can be no matter how tough life gets.

DECA is a big part of Katie’s life - when she was going through a hard time in her personal life, DECA taught her to never give up and to stand up for the things you believe.  She may have had struggles in her life, but if it wasn’t for them she wouldn’t be the person she is today.  Her goals are to show people to look on the brighter side of life and to take initiative in their own lives. She believes that some people just need a little extra push to strive for the best.  As the Chinese proverb says: “The harder you fall, the higher you bounce.”

Please feel free to contact Katie with any concerns, questions or comments.  She would be happy to help any DECA member during her year in office.

Emily Gerhart, Northern Nevada Vice President

Your Northern Nevada Vice President, Emily Gerhart, attends McQueen High School in Reno, Nevada. Before serving as your Northern Nevada VP, Emily served as Vice President of Public Relations for her local DECA chapter where she organized all the fundraisers, assisted the president with meetings and increased DECA participation by 75%. She also participates in many sports for her high school. Emily is planning on attending a prestigious business college so that she can pursue a career in marketing and management.

Emily is also active in her community, including serving as the President for the Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Little Leos Club. She knows what it takes to make a difference in her community and hopes that she can help out DECA in a big way. Right now Emily is working side-by-side with the local community to raise $70,000 for a local dog park.

Emily enjoys being a DECA member because it allows her to meet new people, develop personal relationships, and travel to new places which she has never visited.  As a State Officer, Emily has set the goal of getting new chapters in northern Nevada by telling people about her personal experiences in DECA, and how the organization can help them improve their future.

Emily is honored to serve as your Vice President of Northern Nevada for 2010-2011.