PCHS Bulletin – Vimian Thach
Date Published - May 8, 2026
Parrish Community High School DECA students participated in the DECA State Career Development Conferences (SCDCs) in Orlando March 5-8.
Students who attended:
William Porter - Integrated Marketing Campaign
Andrew Sheffer - Business Growth Plan
Nikolas Marlow - Independent Business Plan
Emma Wood and Miley Newman -Innovation Plan
Val Bradford - Start up Business Plan
Kalynn Devito - Financial Selling
Aaron Gonzales - Business Finance
Steven Lam - Integrated Marketing Campaign Product
Avery Scribner - Hospitality Professional Selling
Ethan Tichio - Accounting Applications
Marlow, Porter, and Sheffer each placed in the top three in their event and earned the right to attend the 2026 DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC/Nationals) in Atlanta April 25-28.
DECA Advisor Brandon Mefford and his students have been preparing for the state conference all year. DECA is co-curricular, giving them opportunities to prepare in class by working on their projects and presentations.
He even notices the students' practice from the car ride up to Orlando! “I felt the students were very prepared, and we had the most successful year yet,” Mefford said.
The students learned a lot from their experience at states with Mefford providing, “I always think when students go to states they realize how competitive the state competition is and the high quality of marketing students that they are competing against. They also learn to network with different schools and students throughout the state of Florida.”
Lam states that this event was unforgettable, “It was truly the best four days I’ve ever experienced. From the events to the people, every moment was surreal. Although competing was stressful—with all the studying, memorizing, and constantly rehearsing my presentation—it’s an experience I’ll always cherish and be grateful for.”
Lam also states that he learned so much from states such as being more open-minded and to believe in himself, even during moments where it was very overwhelming. “Just push yourself and yolo.”
Being his first time at states, Lam found the competition’s atmosphere heartwarming. “Even though it’s a competitive conference, everyone was incredibly friendly and outgoing. I met so many new people and formed new friendships through random icebreakers. As short as the trip was, its impact will last a lifetime—I’ll never regret joining DECA.”
The sentiment was echoed at the ICDC National conference. It was incredibly competitive, and the students had a lot of fun making connections by trading pins of their state with other competitors around the world! They were able to visit many exciting places like the Cola factory and the Georgia Aquarium as well!
These students did amazing at DECA States and nationals! With these results, we can only look forwards to next year with high hopes for the PCHS DECA team! The program will conclude the year with their annual award banquet on May 14.