West Islip Brings Home Gold In State DECA Conference

From West Islip High School: Nine students from West Islip High School, accompanied by adviser Diana Saadat and math teacher Tara Annunziata, attended DECA’s 58th annual New York State Career Development Conference, held March 6-9 in Rochester, bringing home 11 medals. They competed against more than 2,000 other students from across New York State to show their dedication to and knowledge of business.

Natalie Cosentino won three medals in the Marketing Communications category. Krista Ciccarelli and Briana Ferguson won three medals for Financial Services Team Decision Making, and Isabella D’Avanzo and Lily Gilmore each won one medal in Business Services Management and Retail Merchandising, respectively. Also competing for West Islip were Kayla Dixon in Visual Advertising, Kendalyn Gruenberg in Retail Merchandising, Thomas Landhauser in Human Resources Management and James Sladky in Sports and Entertainment Marketing.

Cosentino and Ferguson, both seniors, were grateful to participate in the state DECA competition for the third consecutive year in a row and thrilled to bring home medals, showcasing their hard work.

“Although it was a great feeling to win and compete, the memories and friendships I have made thanks to DECA are something I will never forget,” said Ferguson, West Islip’s DECA president.

“Since we were able to bring more students than usual, this year was more exciting,” said Saadat. “It was truly inspiring to watch the students get out of their comfort zones, network and really enjoy the competition. I am so proud to be their adviser.”

Photos courtesy of the West Islip School District