Earlier this month, 27 out of 54 Stone Bridge DECA competitors qualified for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) at the State Leadership Conference (SLC) in Virginia Beach, Va. Some of the teams who qualified for ICDC include: seniors Elizabeth Cohen and Allie Howard; juniors Ana Burlacu, Riley Jackman, and Megan Simanowith; juniors Hana Azari, Constance Daviage, and Charlotte Schlosser; and juniors Emily Martinez, Catherine McKinley, and Mariana Rosero. 

Seniors Cohen and Howard ended up placing first in their category, Community Awareness Project (PMCA), where they raised money for the Mobile Hope Foundation through Battle of the ‘Burn. The team of two fundraised through selling t-shirts, spirit links, and holding a Fuddruckers Spirit Night. 

“I was so excited to qualify [for ICDC],” Cohen said. “Allie and I couldn’t believe it, especially with this being our first in-person ICDC ever. I just felt so happy and grateful that our hard work over the past few months really paid off and helped us have an unforgettable senior year DECA experience.”

 Daviage, who placed fifth place in the category, Integrated Marketing Campaign-Product (IMCP) with her group, also qualified to go to the ICDC event in Atlanta, Georgia, which is on the weekend of April 23rd.

“Leading up to SLC was definitely a little stressful, lots of practice and editing our project to make improvements, but overall getting to be creative with my teammates definitely made the preparations worth it,” Daviage said. “I was so excited to qualify for ICDC. My teammates and I worked really hard, and I’m so proud we pulled it off.”

Burlacu’s group also experienced some nerves before placing fourth in the Community Giving Project (PMCG) category, where Burlacu, Jackman, and Simanowith held a Toy Drive for children in need. With the toy drive, the group created a GoFundMe page and used the money they raised to purchase additional toys for the children.

“The process prior to the competition was stressful because we had to make sure that our paper was written well as well as making sure all of our script [was] memorized and ready to be presented to the judges,” Buralcu said. “My favorite moment from DECA is placing 4th in the state this year. I was extremely excited to hear our names get called up on stage at SLC.”

Cohen and Howard started planning their project during August and September, holding Battle of the ‘Burn week in late September and early October. In early November, the team started writing a paper about what they did as their project. Then, from November to February, the two finished their paper and submitted it for review by a judge.

“In February, Allie and I wrote and refined our script and materials for our fifteen minute presentation of our project, which was the second element of our competition,” Cohen said. “We memorized our script and how we planned to present our project to the judge, and then we were prepared to compete!”

DECA has been at Stone Bridge for many years, and each new year gives students the chance to discover more about their interest in business. 

“I’d advise anyone who would like to join DECA that it is definitely one of the best ways to introduce yourself to such a huge and successful industry, and can motivate you to be part of that industry after high school and college,” Martinez said.