CARMEL, IN — Carmel High School DECA has once again solidified its reputation as a global powerhouse in business education, returning from the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, with historic results.

 

Competing in a massive field of over 26,000 attendees and 15,000 student competitors, Carmel’s delegation of 87 students stood out not only for their business acumen but for their professionalism and character. Of those 87 students, a remarkable 38 were honored on stage, culminating in the acquisition of five coveted "DECA Glass" trophies, the highest honor in the organization, signifying a Top 3 in the World placement.

Global Excellence on Stage

The "DECA Glass" is the pinnacle of high school business achievement. This year, Carmel High School is proud to celebrate the following world-class finishes:

1st Place (World Champions):

• Grant Mu – Stock Market Game
• Nathan Madzelan & Gavin Bletzinger – Virtual Business Challenge (Personal Finance)

2nd Place:

• Malek Morad – Stock Market Game
• Sheldon Spence – Professional Selling

3rd Place:

• Atharva Sahu & Michael Yuan – Virtual Business Challenge (Fashion)

In addition to these podium finishes, Carmel saw an unprecedented number of Top 10 International Finalists and Silver Ribbon Medalists, showcasing the depth of talent across the program's categories, from Hospitality and Finance to Entrepreneurship and Marketing.

 

 

The Road to International Success

The journey to ICDC is a rigorous, year-long commitment. The Carmel DECA season begins in August, with 450 members across all grade levels dedicating their first semester to intensive preparation. To be eligible, students must be currently enrolled in or have previously completed a full year of Business or Computer Science coursework at CHS.

Following a grueling competitive cycle, including District competitions in January and State in March, only the elite qualifiers earn the right to represent Indiana on the international stage. This year’s competition featured students from across the globe, including Canada, Germany, China, and beyond.

"Our students exhibited the highest level of professionalism, collaboration, and kindness on this trip," said DECA sponsor Jacob Goodman. "We could not be prouder of our entire team. This success is a testament to the hard work of our students and the unwavering support of the CHS staff, parent chaperones, and the Carmel community."

The Carmel DECA program is led and supported by dedicated faculty sponsors:

• Jacob Goodman
• Stacie Fowler
• Christina McClish

Full List of Honorees

Placement	Students	Event
Top 10	Kaden Appleton	Business Services Operations Research
Top 10	Ayaan Shah	Innovation Plan
Top 10	Eleanor Purvis	Professional Selling
Top 10	Kabir Goel & Rohan Parikh	Marketing Management Team Decision Making
Top 10	Carlo Federici	Stock Market Game
Top 10	David Weissbach & Aiden Lee	VBC - Entrepreneurship
Top 10	Amay Sharma & Aarush Patil	VBC - Entrepreneurship
Top 10	Siddhant Sinha & Arnav Samuel	VBC - Fashion
Top 10	Mahesh Duvvuri & Nairit Dutta	VBC - Restaurant
Top 10	Howard Gu & Chelsea Meng	VBC - Personal Finance
Top 10	Daniel Li & Alexander Zhao	VBC - Sports
Top 10	HC Wang & Bryan Lin	VBC - Retailing
Top 10	Vardaan Goel & Kodai Fujita	VBC - Hotel
Finalists	Anuva Giri & Emily Wang	Integrated Marketing Campaign
Finalists	Rajeev Singh / Dhruv Patel	Stock Market Game
Silver Medalists	V. Erraguntala	Finance
Silver Medalists	A. Widjaja	Food Marketing
Silver Medalists	O. Widjaja	Hotel & Lodging Management
Silver Medalists	A. Jain & A. Veerapaneni	Business Law Team Decision Making

About DECA Inc.

DECA is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. With a nearly 80-year history, DECA has impacted the lives of more than ten million students, educators, school administrators, and business professionals. Their programs integrate into classroom instruction, applying learning through rigorous competitive events that simulate real-world business scenarios.