Top Honors at DECA State Career Development Conference

Thirty students from the Academy of the Holy Angels traveled to Atlantic City to compete in the New Jersey DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC), delivering an impressive performance and earning numerous awards.

The State Career Development Conference is DECA’s premier annual event at the state level, bringing together high school students for several days of competition, leadership workshops, and networking opportunities. Students compete in rigorous business-focused events that include written projects, exams, and live role-play presentations in areas such as marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, hospitality, and management. Top performers earn the opportunity to advance to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC), where they compete against students from around the world.

Holy Angels students stood out among the competition, earning multiple top placements and several coveted ICDC qualifying spots.

ICDC Qualifiers

• Anastasia Mysliwiec ’27 & Hailey Kim ’27 — 6th Place, Travel & Tourism Team Decision Making

• Lizbeth George ’28 — 9th Place, Quick Serve Restaurant Management Series

• Olivia Cutri ’26 & Evelyn Chia ’26 — State Community Service Project

• Haedyn Brigati ’26 — Thrive Level Chapter Award

Finalists

• Kaitlyn Zheng ’26 — Restaurant & Food Service Management Series

• Raegan Hynes ’27 — Personal Financial Literacy Series

• Hannah George ’28 — Entrepreneurship Series

• Gabriella Balducci ’28 — Principles of Business Management & Administration

Mini Awards

• Anastasia Mysliwiec ’27 & Hailey Kim ’27 — Travel & Tourism Team Decision Making

• Raegan Hynes ’27 — Personal Financial Literacy Series

• Kaitlyn Zheng ’26 — Restaurant & Food Service Management Series

Ambassador Award

• Evelyn Chia ’26, Olivia Cutri ’26, Haedyn Brigati ’26, Zaara Sadhwani ’26, & Raegan Hynes ’26

What makes these accomplishments particularly impressive is the structure of the Holy Angels DECA program. Unlike many schools, the Holy Angels program meets only twice a month during Community Time. Despite the limited meeting schedule, students dedicate significant time outside of school to prepare for competitions, study business concepts, and refine their presentations. The strong showing by Holy Angels students highlights their dedication, initiative, and leadership.

The entire AHA community congratulates these students on their outstanding achievements and wishes the ICDC qualifiers the best of luck as they advance to the international level of competition later this year.