Nine students from the high school, accompanied by adviser Diana Saadat and math teacher Tara Annunziata, recently attended the 59th annual New York State DECA Career Conference, held at the upstate Rochester Riverside Convention Center. Competing in the Accounting Applications Series, Courtney Metzger won three medals – top 10 Role Play One, top 10 Role Play Two and top 10 overall – and finished fourth in the state in her category, qualifying her for DECA’s International Career Development Conference.

Other West Islip students who qualified at the regional level and continued on to compete at the state conference were James Sladky and Isabella D’Avanzo in Marketing Management Team Decision Making; Kendalyn Gruenberg in Retail Merchandising; Kayla Dixon and Lily Gilmore in Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making; Olivia DiStefano in Principles of Marketing; and Maya Marino and Paisley Narra in Hotel and Lodging Management. 

“It was a great experience filled with learning and networking in a business environment,” said Sladky, one of West Islip DECA’s two vice presidents.

“We look forward to this every year, it is always a lot of fun,” added D’Avanzo, the other vice president.

“It was an unforgettable experience shared with some of my closest friends and favorite teachers,” said Metzger, who is new to DECA.

“I’m extremely proud of all the students,” said adviser Diana Saadat. “It’s always great to watch them get out of their comfort zones and prepare for their event. We may not have earned as many medals as we hoped, but having someone place fourth in the state is definitely very exciting.”