Harrison High School DECA Business Club Students Earn Unprecedented 17 Spots at National Competition
A record-breaking 17 students qualified for the National DECA Competition (ICDC) by finishing within the top seven in their events at the 66th New York State DECA Competition. An additional seven students finished within the top 10.
The 2026 state tournament was the largest in the history of the competition with over 3,500 students in attendance. The competition was intense, but Harrison High School students exceeded the already high expectations. Students participated in the various DECA functions, workshops, and meetings. Many of the competitions require a written exam as well as a live-action role-play. This year Harrison an unprecedented 96 students attended the state competition, with many receiving awards in their various business competitions.
Club President and four-time National competition qualifier, Addison Valente reflected on the experience at the state competition, “The NYS DECA trip is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences our club has each year…One of the most memorable moments of the trip was the awards ceremony. Watching our entire chapter cheer for one another was incredible…Every time a member was called, our section erupted with excitement and pride. Seeing everyone support each other so enthusiastically showed how strong our chapter community truly is.”
The following seventeen students placed in the top seven of New York State and qualified to compete at the National competition in Atlanta, GA.
1st Place: Addison Valente:Restaurant & Food Service Management (4th time qualifying for Nationals); Jonathan Lewis: Hotel & Lodging Management (3rd time qualifying for Nationals); Liam Azar: Quick Serve Restaurant Management (2nd time qualifying for Nationals); Evan Schwartz: Retail Merchandising (2nd time qualifying for Nationals); Emily Salemo: Franchise Business Plan (2nd time qualifying for Nationals).
2nd Place: Jonah Peligri & Avery Sickles: Finance Operations.
3rd Place: Nolan Simmons: Automotive Series Marketing (3rd time qualifying for Nationals); Marissa Lusardi: Human Resource Management; Reese Haines & Brynn Ensign: Business Solutions Project; Cassandra DiBlasi & Selin Cangir: Sales Project.
4th Place: Sophie Wong: Personal Financial Literacy.
6th Place: Riko Suzuki & Zoe Kim: Buying & Merchandising Operations; Arata Yamazaki: Accounting Applications (2nd time qualifying for Nationals).