Career & Technical Student Organizations
If you compete in DECA, HOSA, FBLA, SkillsUSA or another Career & Technical Student Organization, JWU is a place to keep going. List your membership on your application and you’re automatically considered for a CTSO scholarship. Once you’re on campus, you can join a JWU chapter, compete nationally and move into leadership roles you started building in high school.
CTSO Scholarship
If you were a member of any of these organizations in high school, you could be eligible for a CTSO scholarship:
- Business Professionals of America (BPA)
- DECA
- Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
- Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
- HOSA — Future Health Professionals
- Junior Achievement (JA)
- National FFA
- SkillsUSA
- Technology Student Association (TSA)
There’s no separate application. Indicate your membership on your JWU application and we’ll automatically consider you for our CTSO scholarships.
What Membership Looks Like at JWU
If you choose to continue your membership in college, you’ll join a highly engaged network of peers. JWU chapters compete at state and national conferences, run professional development workshops and bring in local business leaders. Members organize events, take on community service projects and run for chapter, state and national office. Nearly one in five JWU students stays active in the organization they joined in high school. Staying involved in a CTSO is a great way to build your network and connect to professional opportunities.
95%
of JWU CTSO students have received a scholarship for their high school involvement
JWU awarded 985 CTSO scholarships totaling more than $10.3 MILLION over 4 years
JWU has been recognized by DECA’s National Advisory Board for more than 40 years of student organization involvement and support.
19%
of all JWU students remain active in their high school organizations at JWU.
DECA ENGAGE Conference
Media & Communications alum Makena Warfield ’24 joined JWU’s DECA chapter in 2022. “Being a part of this organization allowed me to expand my résumé in ways that I didn’t think were possible. I’ve been able to enrich my career knowledge, enhance my leadership skills and even travel with the team to conferences.”
She attended the annual DECA ENGAGE Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, where DECA members took part in career building and networking, gaining valuable advice from employers who offered their time to help in the competition boot camp.
Super-Charged Leadership Opportunities
Garett Koch ’23, an Accounting and Finance alumnus, credits his CTSO involvement with helping him branch out and become involved while in high school. “FBLA chapters around the country were holding March of Dimes fundraisers. Our chapter ran the largest one in the nation — we raised $21,000 in one night! It was amazing, and it made me realize that I should keep doing this.”
Charged up, Koch began meeting people around New Jersey, running for and winning the state FBLA president position and eventually overseeing the entire East Coast’s national FBLA chapters while traveling the country for speeches and workshops.
“I thought, how can I get into college with this? I looked around, and JWU was really the only college who valued the leadership you get out of a CTSO program.”
DECA: A Family Tradition
DECA was a family tradition for Sports, Entertainment, Event — Management (SEEM) alum Mackenzie Weber ’24. Weber’s grandfather was involved in the Minnesota DECA as a high school student and went on to become a DECA advisor and marketing teacher, later becoming the voice of Minnesota DECA. His family followed in his footsteps volunteering for the Minnesota DECA and BPA Association annually for student conferences and competitions. “For me, DECA is a legacy,” says Weber. “It is in my blood, and I am proud to be a third-generation DECA member.” (Yes, her parents met through DECA, too.)
Weber had always loved the organization’s competitiveness as well as its networking opportunities, and she joined DECA her freshman year of high school.
MORE REASONS TO CHOOSE JWU
- JWU believes every student should have the tools they need to get a great college education.
- Our team of financial planners is here to assist you. Check out everything you need to know about scholarships and more.
- We connect you to employers and professional development opportunities for a successful career start.
Faculty with Industry Experience
- With JWU’s unique approach to education, you work closely with faculty who have expertise in their own unique disciplines.