From March 12 to March 14, 49 Hopedale DECA members participated in the 67th Annual Massachusetts DECA State Career Development Conference, held in the Boston Seaport District. Over 4,000 students attended this year's competition, with Hopedale students facing off against up to 50 competitors per category.

Hopedale DECA students competed in the Project Management event, where they applied project management skills to organize events such as a Financial Literacy Fair and a Career Fair for HJSJS students in grades 7-12, as well as a Growing Minds Activities Fair for elementary students. In the Operations Research category, students conducted thorough primary and secondary research on a business’s use of corporate social responsibility and researching ways to develop a CSR strategy to achieve internal and external results. 

Throughout the competition, Hopedale DECA members honed valuable networking and employability skills that will benefit them both in high school and in their future careers.

Accomplishments: 

Top 12 finalists: Rose Deering: Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling, Colin Haynes: Personal Financial Literacy, Emilee Connolly: Professional Selling, Josie Fleming, Kate Friesema, Gabby Rinehart: Project Management Career Development.

Top 7 Award Recipients Heading to the International Career Development Conference this April in Atlanta, Georgia! Emma Friesema, Charlie Gingras, Nolan Murray: Project Management Financial Literacy, Daisy Everett, Avery Miller, Ryan Thompson: Project Management Career Development, Ariv Srivastava: Financial Consulting Professional Selling.

In addition, Hopedale DECA received Gold recertification for the Raider’s Nest School Based Enterprise, Gold certification for the Raider’s Print Shop School Based Enterprise, Diamond level for their Chapter of Excellence submission (2nd place in the state), and earned 10 Leadership Spots for the Thrive and Aspire Leadership Academies at the International Career Development Conference.

International Competition, here we come!  

Moving on to the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) are 17 Hopedale students! DECA members in attendance will expand their leadership skills and business knowledge while also networking with business professionals and peers from 50 different states, four U.S. territories, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Korea, and more. In addition to the Top 7 award recipients listed above, Maddy Buttonow, Kate Friesema, Gabby Rinehart, and Savannah Sene will be competing in the School Based Enterprise events.

The following students will be participating in leadership academies: Rose Deering, Josie Fleming, Colin Haynes, Charlie Keyes, Trevor Lachiatto, and Matthew Miller.

Thank you! 

Hopedale DECA would like to thank all who made attending the state conference possible, including the officer team, DECA members and competitors, parents, guardians, and HJSHS staff. Thank you also to the 2026 Hopedale DECA State Sponsors who reduced competitor costs for the event. Thank you in advance to the Hopedale community for the continued support of Hopedale DECA member competitions and experiences. Please reach out to Talitha Oliveri, advisor, at [email protected] with questions or to receive additional sponsorship information.

Submitted by Hopedale DECA