22 Compete at DECA Regionals

Twenty-two students competed at the DECA regional competition held at the Niagara Falls Convention Center in December 2025. Ten students placed in the top 4 of their events to qualify for the upcoming New York State competition in March 2026.  Approximately 750 students competed in various business role plays and case studies, prepared events, and online simulations covering career clusters in marketing, finance, hospitality and management, and entrepreneurship. Events are judged by local area industry professionals.

Representing Amherst at state competition in March will be:

• Harang An - Apparel and Accessories
• Nahiyan Shafy - Entrepreneurship
• Mushfiq Bari - Food Marketing
• Sarah Justin - Food Marketing
• Theodore Good - Marketing Communications
• Andalib Islam - Retail Merchandising
• Ethan Zent - Team1 - Sports Entertainment Marketing
• Darren Przepiora - Team1 - Sports Entertainment Marketing
• Hanna Gilmartin - Team2 - Business Law and Ethics
• Peyton Lauria - Team2 - Business Law and Ethics

Competing at the regionals were:

• Amani Saleh - Apparel and Accessories
• Ryan Fortune - Entrepreneurship
• Emerson Texter - Food Marketing
• Eason Chen - Hotel and Lodging Management
• Ishan Jamil - Human Resources Management
• Augustine Lombardo - Human Resources Management
• David McFadden - Principles of Entrepreneurship 
• Liam Robshaw - Quick Serve Restaurant Management
• Phoenix Oppenheimer - Sports and Entertainment Marketing
• Natalie Martin - Sports and Entertainment Marketing
• Henry McLaughlin - Team1 - Business Law and Ethics
• Spencer Weinstein - Team1 - Business Law and Ethics

All students in grades 9-12 may join DECA, an international business and marketing club with over 227,000 members.