West Islip High School students Lucas Scourtos and Abigail Richardelli recently attended the 65th annual New York State DECA Career Conference from March 4-7. The students were accompanied by chapter advisor Diana Saadat and special education teacher Alexis Garcia.
DECA is a student-centered, co-curricular organization with the purpose of providing learning opportunities to marketing education students through goal-oriented chapter activities. This year’s state competition, held at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center in Rochester, set a record for participant numbers.
Participation in these activities serves to develop greater understanding and appreciation of marketing, management and entrepreneurship. The conference highlighted key DECA objectives, including civic consciousness, social intelligence, leadership development and vocational understanding. The West Islip DECA chapter was joined by more than 3,000 other students with one common interest: to represent their school and take home a medal showing their dedication to, and knowledge of, business.
Both Scourtos and Richardelli demonstrated their business expertise, problem-solving skills and professionalism during the competition and their workshops. The students placed in the top 10 in their respective role play events — Scourtos in the Entrepreneurship Series and Richardelli in the Business Finance Series. The role play portion of the DECA competition challenges students to act out real-life business scenarios, testing their abilities to think on their feet, communicate effectively and devise strategic solutions to complex problems.
“Attending the 2025 New York DECA State Career Development Conference was an experience I will forever be grateful for,” said Scourtos, who serves as West Islip High School’s chapter president. “I was able to further develop my professional and presentational skills, gain experience pitching to successful businesspeople, and make bonds with like-minded students from across New York State; all of which will surely aid in my future career endeavors.”
Chapter advisor Diana Saadat said, “We are incredibly proud of Lucas and Abigail. Their performances reflect not only their individual talents but also their dedication and commitment to the program. It’s their hard work and professionalism that truly set them apart.”
Date Added: 4/16/2025