Moravian Academy had the honor of sending eight students to Atlanta, GA, April 23-27, for the ICDC (International Career Development Conference) for DECA.

More than 18,000 students from all over the country as well as from select international locations compete to earn DECA recognition in the way of becoming a finalist and, perhaps, a DECA glass recipient (top 3 in their category).

All of the students attending scored in the top 4 in their category in the state level competition in February. These DECA students competed against some of the best and brightest in the country and the world.

Sunny Chen '24 and Krish Gupta '24 for placing SECOND out of a field of 18,000 competitors! They brought home the coveted DECA glass. Their Franchise Business Plan for Crumbl Cookies earned them top marks and accolades from their judges.

Sunny Chen '24, Krish Gupta '24, Rayna Malhotra '24, Kanchan Gupta '24, Chessie Bartolacci '24, Wisdom Ufondu '23, Okezue Bell '23, and Roshen Gandotra '23 made up the team who competed. 

After the preliminary competition, I was sent an email from one of the judges in the competition. It struck me how this is a testament to the excellence of Moravian Academy students but also their decency.

I will tell you why I remember them so clearly, and why I scored them the highest out of my group.  We are given a rubric to score with, but what I was really looking for was an understanding of real world consequences, both positive and negative, to the decisions they made.  This was evidenced in the way they wanted to pay their employees, how they planned on carving out their place in the market, and their understanding of both risk and risk mitigation.  Their main goal wasn’t just profit, but the ethical sustainability of the business. 

I want to share one other tidbit with you.  After the interview concluded, and Sunny thought she was out of my sight, she LITERALLY skipped away.  That made the rest of my day.  For a moment, I ceased being a judge, and remembered my own time in DECA competition.  I have really enjoyed sharing this with you and your school, and as stated earlier, if there is anything I can do to be of assistance, please let me know.

Jarred Hudgins
NCR Project Coordinator

Here are a few reflections from three of our DECA students who attended this year’s conference. Moravian Academy’s DECA chapter boasts a membership of 57 students from grades 9-12 and they are proving to be at the top of their game in showing how they will be the future business leaders of tomorrow. 

Rayna Malhotra ‘24:

Going to Atlanta for ICDC was one of the most amazing trips I’ve experienced while at the Upper School. Last year, our team qualified for internationals in California, but due to the pandemic, we competed virtually. It’s been amazing to actually have the real DECA experience in person, and get the opportunity to connect with other like-minded students. Being in an environment with thousands of other high schoolers from across the globe with similar interests is so unique and I’m glad I was able to be a part of it. One of my favorite parts was trading pins with people from other states & countries. It served as an interesting way to start conversations with new people and get to know one another. I’m super proud of the other upper school students who qualified for ICDC, and look forward to hopefully attending again next year!

Kanchan Gupta ‘24:

ICDC was one of the most unique and challenging experiences I’ve ever had in all my time at Moravian Academy! There were over 18,000 people in attendance, making each category insanely competitive. We got to meet and network with amazing people from all over the world, participate in invigorating workshops, and present our hard work from the past school year at the international level, competing against over 120 teams. DECA gave me the opportunity to incorporate my interests in both the medical field and business to create a project that had real-world applications. I also got to spend a lot of time with my best friends, which was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. I can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Krish Gupta ‘24:

ICDC was such a fun and fulfilling experience! I met so many people from all across the world, and the atmosphere was so welcoming and friendly. One of my favorite parts was participating in a workshop in which we got into groups of random people and completed a very challenging word puzzle. None of us knew each other, but we were all able to work together as a team, and we would not have finished it if we did not work together. Also, winning second place was such a great feeling for all of the work that Sunny and I put into this project over the past half year. I am very excited to participate again next year, and hopefully take home more DECA glass!