Massapequa’s Emerging Business Leaders Succeed At Competition

MASSAPEQUA, NY — Massapequa High School’s DECA chapter enjoyed success at the recent regional competition and will heading off to the state tournament in Rochester in March. DECA is an organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in the finance, hospitality and marketing industries.

At the Nassau County regional competition at Freeport High School, students participated in role-playing exercises in a variety of categories, such as business law, restaurant and food service, and sports marketing. Students were given scenarios at the conference and had to prepare and present to a panel of judges, who are experts in their respective fields.

Massapequa adviser Edward Aromando said that students only get 10 minutes to prepare if it’s an individual presentation or 15 minutes with a team, so it’s vital to have strong background knowledge of their category.

This year, 30 students attended the regional competition, and 16 placed in their categories. A total of 29 Massapequa DECA students will attend the state competition from March 8-10, with a chance to qualify for the national tournament in Orlando.

Juniors Autumn Romer and Angela Langone are first-year members of DECA and earned first place at the regional tournament in the business law and ethics category. Romer, a member of Massapequa’s mock trial team, joined DECA to broaden her knowledge of law, and she recruited Langone.

Their scenario at the regional conference was about ethical concerns regarding a solar panel company’s marketing plan. They both enjoyed the event and liked interacting with high school students with similar interests.

“It really felt like we were at a business conference,” Romer said.

Patrick Pellegrini placed second in the accounting category and his scenario was related to insurance. He said he enjoys the challenge of going into the competition without knowing what the role-playing situation will be.