Whitewater High and Starr’s Mill were among the more than 25,000 high school students, teacher-advisors, business professionals and alumni who gathered at the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC). 

Whitewater was well-represented in the top 10. Naomi Martin won top 10 in the nation for her role play event. Carlos Garcia and Anna Daniels wrote a paper on the school store and won gold certification. 

At ICDC, Starr’s Mill students Logan Thompson and Hannah Leckie attended the Thrive Academy. The Thrive Academy is a leadership workshop for the world’s top performing DECA chapters. It is a remarkable accolade to earn academy seats at the highest level of a national campaign as a first-year chapter. 

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. As an integral part of the classroom curriculum, DECA’s industry-validated competitive events are aligned with the National Curriculum Standards, and directly contribute to every student being college and career ready when they graduate from high school.