Bridgewater-Raritan High School students thrived when they competed in the DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC), held in Atlantic City from March 3–5.
Shelly Wakde, who is the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Advisor for DECA, reported that the conference brought together approximately 5,500 competitors from across New Jersey, making it one of the largest student business competitions in the state.
According to DECA, formerly known as the Distributive Education Clubs of America, it is a global non-profit CTE student organization with 300,000-plus high school and college members. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. DECA enhances classroom instruction through competitions, conferences, and real-world projects.
The dedication, work ethic, and passion of Ms. Wakde, a French Teacher at the high school known to students as Madame Wakde, are crucial to the success of the Bridgewater-Raritan High School DECA.
Through months of preparation, coaching, and mentoring, she works tirelessly to guide students through competitions, presentations, and professional development activities. Her commitment and leadership help create opportunities for students to build confidence, develop business skills, and succeed at the highest levels of competition.
Ms. Wakde stated that the Bridgewater-Raritan DECA had an exceptional showing, with 27 of 62 competitors qualifying for the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC). Of those qualifiers, 19 Bridgewater-Raritan students will compete internationally, representing their school and New Jersey at the conference in Atlanta from April 25–29.
In addition to individual and team achievements, Ms. Wakde said that the Bridgewater-Raritan DECA chapter received two prestigious chapter awards for its Community Service Campaign and Membership Campaign.
“These honors allow six additional students to attend ICDC in a recognition and leadership capacity, even though they will not be competing,” Ms. Wakde said.
She also reported that several Bridgewater-Raritan students placed first in their respective events, “demonstrating excellence in business, marketing, finance, hospitality, and entrepreneurship.”
Below are those award-winning Bridgewater-Raritan students and their events.
Shriya Gobinathan — Entrepreneurship Franchise Business Plan
Meher Dua / Mahathi Karthik — Project Management Community Awareness Project
Roma Gupta / Gayatri Krishnan — Integrated Marketing Campaign Service
Jackson Franklin / Neel Wakde / Alex Kellam — Integrated Marketing Campaign Service
Tharun Naguleswaran — Principles of Business Management and Administration
Romir Dedhia — Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
Hrishi Patel — Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
Aayush Dhar — Principles of Finance
Ridhwan Sharma — Principles of Finance
Manas Gumedelli / Jadon Kim — Sports and Entertainment Marketing Management Team Decision Making
Parvathy Regi / Varnika Krithi — Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making
Sanvi Parikh — Professional Selling
Rishi Khanna / Om Shah — Buying and Merchandising Management Team Decision Making
Vivian Chao — Accounting Applications Series
Darsh Gaur — Entrepreneurship Series
Yusuf Amin — Apparel and Accessories Marketing Series
Rishabh Gupta — Apparel and Accessories Marketing Series
Dhriti Karra — Financial Consulting Event
Nitya Jain — Financial Consulting Event
Here are the 19 students representing Bridgewater-Raritan High School at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Atlanta from April 25-29.
Varnika Krithi
Parvathy Regi
Tharun Naguleswaran
Ridhwan Sharma
Meher Dua
Mahathi Karthik
Nitya Jain
Dhriti Karra
Sanvi Parikh
Devin Patel
Shriya Gobinathan
Roma Gupta
Gayatri Krishnan
Darsh Gaur
Vivian Chao
Yusuf Amin
Rishabh Gupta
Satwika Chakkilam
Arshiya Aggarwal
“The chapter would also like to extend special thanks to Mike Bittner (Business Education Teacher) and ChiaYing Jengliu (Chinese Teacher) for chaperoning the trip, supporting the students and the advisor throughout the conference. Their guidance and assistance played an important role in making the experience smooth and successful for everyone involved,” Ms. Wakde said.
“We are also deeply grateful to our parent chaperones, Mehul Patel and Padma Gumedelli, who tirelessly supported the students and advisors during the conference. Their willingness to volunteer their time and help wherever needed contributed greatly to the success of the trip and built confidence, developed business skills, and succeeded at the highest levels of competition,” Ms. Wakde said.
She added.
“Bridgewater-Raritan DECA continues to demonstrate excellence in preparing students for careers in business, marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship, and the chapter looks forward to proudly representing New Jersey on the international stage. The school community congratulates all participants for their hard work, dedication, and impressive achievements.”