NBTHS DECA Gets Down to Business

SAANVI LAMBA, Editor-in-Chief

DECA members at North Brunswick Township High School have a standout year, with strong performances at the State Career Development Conference (SCDC) and continued success in school and community activities. Throughout the 2025-2026 school year, NBTHS DECA students compete in a variety of business-related events, with students finding success both individually and as teams. At SCDC, 16 students reached the finalist round, and 12 advanced to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC), which takes place April 25-28, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. Several students placed at the top of their events, including Gourav Nair, Harel Raj, and Gaurav Hemrajani, who earned first place in the Entrepreneurship Franchise Business Plan event. Other top finishes included second-place awards in Law & Ethics Team Decision-Making and Hotel & Lodging Role-Play. In addition to competitions, DECA members are active in improving the school community. The NBTHS school store earned Gold Level Certification, recognizing it as one of the top student-run stores in the state. According to advisor Mr. O’Hara, students played a major role in managing and transforming the store, especially after the store was redesigned over the summer. During the first marking period, the store became a busy part of the school day, with constant activity and even the smell of fresh cookies. The store’s success also helped students directly, lowering the cost of attending SCDC by $160 per student through strong management of profits.

DECA also makes an impact outside of school through community service. Members organize multiple initiatives, including donating over 1,300 hygiene kits to soup kitchens and collecting more than 1,000 pounds of non-perishable food for local food banks. The club also ran a toy drive that collected over 900 gifts for orphanages. Together, these contributions show that DECA is not only focused on business skills but also on giving back to the community.

This year showed just how much NBTHS DECA has grown. Looking ahead, the chapter has big goals. Students are aiming to bring home awards from ICDC and continue growing the program by getting more students involved and creating more leadership opportunities. They also plan to find new ways to expand the school store and bring in more revenue. With strong results at SCDC, the chapter is heading into ICDC with confidence. For many members, this year has set a new standard for what the program can achieve.