This school year, Highland Park’s DECA Chapter had one of its most impressive seasons yet. Led by seniors Nadia Barbieri and Jack Gordon, and sponsors Mrs. Burnetti, Ms. Chambers, and Ms. Sinchak, Highland Park achieved a 40% increase in participants and an increase in qualifiers for the state-wide Illinois Career and Development Conference (ILCDC) and the International Career and Development Conference (ICDC).
What is HPHS Deca?
DECA is a business club where students compete in roleplays of business functions. Students have the opportunity to choose from over 20 sectors of business such as Entrepreneurship, Business-Law, Accounting, Marketing, and Travel and Tourism. First-year members choose from Principles Events, and veteran members are able to choose between a team or an individual event. Along with each roleplay, students must complete a 100-question multiple-choice “Cluster” test related to their roleplay. Their total score is the average of their test score, first roleplay, and second roleplay.
Students also have the opportunity to participate in Written Events. Most Written Events are business proposals presented through a presentation such as a trifold presentation or a research paper. This event requires months of research, practicing, and hard work making it quite the endeavor. Since Written Events tend to be more open-ended and time-consuming, it is important to research all the events available.
Junior Esmae You, Vice President of Individuals, said, “I wish I knew the extent of the Written Events last year. A Written Event could really be anything from starting a business to doing a research paper.”
Finally, students can participate in the Virtual Business Competition (VBC). This competition is a web-based business simulation where a team of three people compete to manage a company to be as profitable as possible. There are different sectors of those businesses, like retail and restaurants, that students choose from.
“Don’t just do a role play, do other events like Written or VBC because you never know what you might like or be good at,” You said.
Area
All 131 HP DECA members competed at the Area competition. Students only compete in their roleplays, and those who place first, second, or third in the sector of their roleplay advance to the state competition. From Highland Park, eleven placed first, nine placed second, and nine placed third.
State
This year, 55 students represented Highland Park at ILCDC in Rosemont, IL. Over three days, Highland Park competed against 70 schools from across the state. Highland Park was recognized as a “Superstar Chapter,” having over 100 members and having above a ten percent increase in members from last year.
“My favorite moment from this year was at ILCDC when my partner and I placed second at state after thinking we weren’t going to place,” You said.
Along with You, Highland Park left ILCDC with lots of hardware: five in first place, seven in second place, and two in fourth place, along with others placing in the top ten. Out of over 3000 competitors at state, 17 students from Highland Park advanced toward ICDC.
ICDC
The 2026 ICDC was the grand finale of the DECA season, held from April 25–28. ICDC is the pinnacle of DECA, every member from across the world has been working for months towards this event.
Held in the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, ICDC 2026 hosted over 27,000 people from all 50 states and various countries around the world. Each student competes towards “DECA Glass,” the trophy for first, second, or third in the world. Out of these thousands of participants, three of our very own Highland Park competitors placed top 10 in VBC: Alec Schwartz, Mason Seiffer, and Dylan Weininger.
You can’t discuss ICDC without mentioning the “Pin Economy.” Chapters from all over the world trade state and country-specific pins, with some designs becoming high-value currency. In the United States, one DECA State Officer from each state typically designs the pins. Each student receives a few pins from their home state or country, and during free time or after ceremonies, it is encouraged for students to trade pins with one another. Some designs become high-value “currency” through scarcity or good design. Pin-trading is a highly anticipated event that encourages students to meet new people and form meaningful connections on an international scale.
Highland Park High School’s 2025-2026 DECA season was a historic success. From record-breaking numbers at Area, State, and ICDC, every member learned numbers about leadership, dedication, and, of course, business skills. As this year closes, Highland Park DECA is already looking forward to all that next year will bring.