Anaheim, California– From February 26th, 2026, to Sunday, March 1st, 2026, over 190 members of the Harker DECA chapter attended the State Career Development Conference (SCDC). This year’s event marked the most competitive ever recorded, drawing more than 4,000 attendees. Students competed in their respective events to earn a spot at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC). Throughout the weekend, DECA chapters across California gathered to engage in skill building workshops, network with industry professionals, demonstrate their professional growth, and celebrate professional growth through experiences that will last a lifetime. 

“This year’s state conference was an incredibly inspiring experience for our chapter. Even though the competition was tougher than ever, our members stayed motivated and pushed themselves to do their best. From the engaging workshops to seeing so many of our members recognized as finalists, the weekend was a great reminder of the dedication and teamwork within our chapter,” said Chief Executive Officer of Harker DECA, Tanvi Sivakumar (12). 

On Thursday, February 26th, students gathered at SJC in two flight groups to make their way to Anaheim. Once everyone arrived at the hotel, members prepared for their respective tests which occurred later in the afternoon. 

After settling into their rooms, all attendees proceeded to their testing sessions for the following clusters:  Business & Administration, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing, and Hospitality & Tourism. 

“SCDC was definitely a really memorable experience that greatly expanded not only my ability to be more confident in my speaking skills, but also to create deeper connections with the people around me and gain further experience in the world of business” said Alexis Santosa (10). 

Lastly, the California State Officers were introduced during the Opening Sessions, which also featured speeches for the state president of the following year. Kicking off the conference, Keynote Speaker, Keith Hawkins gave an inspirational speech about mindset and always being “better than good.” The California DECA State Officer Team then made announcements, informing everyone about important logistics and allowing them to vote for the state team for the following year.‍

Friday, February 27th, began with the roleplay events, including Individual Series, Principles, and Team Decision Making events. Between their  assigned event times, students attended more workshops like “Financing Your Education,” and assessed their business knowledge through protégé exams on areas such as real estate and event planning. 

“I really enjoyed SCDC this year. I learned how to improve on what I already knew and handle the competition better. It was more fun knowing what to expect and focusing on enjoying the experience with my team. I loved having free time to hang out with friends, stay up late, compete with my teammate, and visit Disneyland afterward. It made the experience super memorable” said Nysa Nirkhe (10). 

After the competitive events concluded, students had the opportunity to explore Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as a reward for their hard work throughout the conference.

‍Saturday, February 28th, marked the last full day of competitions. Students delivered presentations of their written plans in events such as Business and Operations Research, Project Management, Entrepreneurship, Marketing Campaigns, and Professional Selling/Consulting. After completing their pitches, students had free time to eat food, socialize with friends, and complete their homework before the next chapter meeting.

Later that evening, the Mini Awards Ceremony recognized both individual competitors and chapters across California for their efforts. Many Harker DECA members were also acknowledged for their presentation and exam scores in their events. 

“I really enjoyed the energy at SCDC this year, especially from our freshman class. As a large chapter, we brought incredible energy and truly made Harker DECA’s presence known throughout the conference. This experience reminded me of the importance of perseverance. Even if results weren’t what we hoped for, these moments often set the stage for a stronger comeback next year. Overall, I think Harker DECA really went the Extra, and I’m excited to see what’s ahead for our chapter” said Bazigh Tahirzad (11), VP of Finance. 

‍On Sunday, March 1st, students attended the Grand Awards Ceremony, which would earn teams a place at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in April, hosted in Anaheim, California. The Top 10 finalists in each event were recognized on stage, but those placing in the Top 6 for roleplay events or Top 5 for written events became eligible to represent California DECA at ICDC. 

‍Members placing in the Top 5 in Written Events and Top 6 in Roleplay Events are as follows:

1st Place:

Amishi Gupta (12), Tanvi Sivakumar (12);  Financial Services Team Decision Making

Alan Shen (12), Timmy Chen (12); Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making

Abby Wang (11), Elizabeth Zhang (11); Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making

Jacob Cao (9); Principles of Hospitality and Tourism 

Lori Ji (9); Principles of Marketing 

2nd Place:

Abby Sachse (11); Apparel and Accessories Marketing Series

Kai Nishimura (11), Colin Li (11); Marketing Management Team Decision Making

Isaac Liu (10); Professional Selling

Jillian Chen (10); Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series

Aditya Sathyanarayanan (10), Ameya Choudhary (10); Franchise Business Plan 

Ravi Saxena (9); Principles of Business Management and Administration

3rd Place:

Kimi Yashar (12), Koby Yu (12); Integrated Marketing Campaign Service 

Leana Zhou (12); Financial Consulting

Elizabeth Zhang (11), Abby Wang (11); Integrated Marketing Campaign Event 

Audrey Hu (11); Quick Serve Restaurant Management Series

Onslow Newnan (10); Accounting Applications Series

Smera Savadi (10), Medha Choudhary(10); Financial Services Team Decision Making 

Leo Hoffmann (9), Patrick Jiang (9); Entrepreneurship Innovation Plan 

4th Place:

Allison Huang (12), Ruhi Banerjee (12); Marketing Management Team Decision Making

Hannah Jiang (11); Business Services Operations Research

Joyce Zhang (11); Business Services Operations Research

Ishayan Das (9); Principles of Marketing

5th Place:

Saahithi Koneru (11); Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling

Sean Wang (11); Automotive Services Marketing Series

Nathaniel Idicula (11); Business Services Marketing Series

Will Hou (10), Daniel Xi (10) ; Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making

Tanvi Dhoot (10); Financial Consulting 

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Chapter awards received are as follows: 

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Business Person of the Year: Andre van der Bergh

Membership Campaign: Thrive Level 

Chapter Campaigns: Thrive Level

Chapter Awards Program: Gold Level 

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About The Harker School DECA

Harker DECA is an International Competitive Business Organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business, and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible, and experienced leaders.

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Contact Information

To learn more about this story, please contact:

Sofe Jalil, Director of Communications

28sofej@students.harker.org

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