The 2026 DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC), hosted in Atlanta Georgia, was an unforgettable experience for NVD students, combining competition, travel, and connection with future business leaders around the world.

DECA is a high school club for students preparing for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. It offers competitive events and networking opportunities for students to develop leadership and entrepreneurship skills. 

All students worked extremely hard in their business roleplays or presentations competing in both a regional and statewide competition in order to qualify for this national conference. 

Those who chose to attend demonstrated outstanding achievement in their competitive events. Senior Jonah Wagner, who is also a New Jersey state officer for DECA, placed third place in the Personal Financial Literacy event, where students apply financial knowledge to real world scenarios. Wagner earned the highest award given to the top three competitors nationwide, known as “DECA Glass” (pictured above). Seniors Samaaya Agarwal and Ava Pavlos were recognized as top ten finalists in their event: Marketing Management Team Decision Making, where they were given specific brands that they had to plan a marketing campaign for. Their success represents the hard work and dedication that NVD DECA has put into preparation.

Throughout the trip, students had the opportunity to explore the city of Atlanta in between competitions and ceremonies, giving them the chance to network with one another and build friendships. In their free time, students attended attractions such as Six Flags, Top Golf and the World of Coca-Cola, making life long memories inside and outside of the conference. 

One of the most unique aspects and traditions that all attending students love, is the ICDC is pin trading, where students from different states and countries design their own personalized pins. Students trade these pins amongst themselves  based on the rarity and overall appearance of the pin. This tradition allows students to meet one another and establish connections while collecting meaningful souvenirs. 

Overall, ICDC gave future business leaders the opportunity to compete against one another at an international level, explore new places, celebrate achievements, and connect with a global community of students who have similar interests.