From March 3-5, over 50 Hills DECA members competed in the annual State Career Development Conference (SCDC) for DECA in Atlantic City, where weeks of preparation and hard work paid off. Twelve outstanding members earned a spot at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
DECA is a nationwide organization designed to prepare high school students for careers in business. It equips high school students with essential skills in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. Participants can choose from over 50 distinct competitive events, ranging from spontaneous role-plays to in-depth research presentations that simulate real world challenges and professional environments.
Hills DECA members first went through the district-level DECA competition where more than 50 members qualified and moved onto the next round. The 12 members who qualified at the state conference will now go on to compete against teens around the world at the international conference.
The ICDC will be taking place from April 25-28, where more than 23,000 students from all 50 states and several countries will compete for the top spots, displaying their exceptional skills.
The following 12 Hills students qualified for the ICDC conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The list contains the events, teams or individual names, and overall rank of all qualifying members.
Principles of Marketing
Noa Kaufman (2nd place)
Financial Services Team Decision Making
Ethan Karuru & Jared Litt (8th place)
Buying and Merchandising Management Team Decision Making
Arianna Crabb & Sophia Kelly (2nd place)
Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling
Allison Cohen (7th place)
Integrated Marketing Campaign Event
Gabby Spinak (1st place)
Business Services Operations Research
Vazyl Adams, Allison Cohen, & Kyle Hanna (4th place)
Finance Operations Research Event
Ethan Murphy (7th place)
Restaurant and Food Service Management
Zahraa Islam (9th place)
Human Resources Management Series
Taleen Stephans (7th place)
When asked about her initial reaction as her name was announced for first place on stage, Sophomore Gabby Spinak described the shock she had as her doubt vanished.
“I was in total shock, I couldn’t even believe what I heard. I didn’t think in a million years I would’ve won,” said Spinak.
Additionally, the Pascack Hills chapter did not fail to support and show widespread cheer for this big achievement. The Pascack Hills DECA chapter wishes the 12 qualifying members luck and expressed immense pride in their success at the ICDC.
Check out this photo gallery of Hills DECA members at states:
