Newman Smith DECA members, students Mukunda Bodapati and Suhani Jampala, advanced to DECA’s annual International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta, Ga. on April 23-26, 2022 for their Franchise Business Plan.

“We are proud of these two students for earning DECA’s highest honors at the conference,” said Lola Walker, Newman Smith High School CTE teacher. “They represented Newman Smith well as they competed against DECA students from around the world.”

During the school year, approximately 100,000 of DECA’s 160,000 high school student members take part in the organization’s competitive events program, allowing them to compete for local, regional, and state titles. The competitions are designed to simulate real-life business scenarios and test students’ academic understanding and skills development. The top state winners put their talents to the test during the program’s final round of competition in Atlanta. 

This year’s #DECAICDC featured nearly 18,000 members and advisors in attendance. In addition to the career-based competition, DECA members engaged in leadership academies and networking opportunities with over 70 internationally-recognized businesses and universities.