Gloucester’s Brown places 6th at States, qualifies for ICDC

Gloucester’s Mackayla Allen and Julia Palk led the way in the Parade of Chapters, joining two student representatives from each school as they crossed the stage with their school banners. After hearing from the current state officers, the crowd listened to 18 prospective state officer candidates deliver rapid-fire, one-minute campaign speeches.

On Friday, Gloucester High students launched into competition with their preliminary rounds. Quiz Bowl teammates Santana Faria and Jessica Harvey joined two representatives from Stoughton in a high-stakes match, playing one intense round. Between events, members could choose from a variety of activities, including interactive workshops and college information booths.

GHS’s 5 voting delegates, which include Brown, Nathan Gorman-Melo, Merina Earl, Janelle Brancleone, and Magnolia Giddings, spoke with Massachusetts DECA State Officer candidates at their booths. The delegates then voted for who they felt would best represent them on next year’s State Officer Team at the Business and Election Session.

The evening then moved into the Achievement Awards ceremony. To open the program, Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) ambassador Lauren Junge addressed members, sharing her experience with Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome and the many ways the MDA has supported her journey. Gloucester contributed to those efforts during the Miracle Minute, when State Officer Candidates fanned out through the crowd to collect donations from the audience.

During the ceremony, Gloucester learned which of its members would advance to the final round of competition. Brown emerged as Gloucester’s sole competitor to earn a spot among the top 12 finalists.

The evening concluded with DECA After Dark, the final event of the night. At this celebration, students played cornhole, recorded 360-degree dance videos, belted out karaoke, and connected with DECA members from across the conference.

The DECA trip culminated in the Grand Awards Ceremony, where the top seven written research events and top eight roleplays earned the chance to compete at the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta this April. Gloucester DECA President Julian Nixon was recognized at the outset of the ceremony, receiving two of the four scholarships awarded: the $1,000 Mass DECA Scholarship and the $1,000 George Berg Memorial Scholarship.