Seven student leaders from JPII’s DECA chapter recently spent the day in Columbia, SC, taking part in the South Carolina DECA Fall Leadership Conference—a dynamic, hands-on experience designed to sharpen their business insight, teamwork, presentation skills, and leadership capacity ahead of the November 12 Regional Competition.

Representing JPII were Leo Iskandar, Angelo Iskandar, Michael Fitzgibbons, KP Santos, Megan Fox, Cristen Rodriguez and Kathryn Mouhalis brought their knowledge back to campus to support and mentor their peers, helping prepare all 44 JPII DECA members for competition season.

Throughout the day, students participated in three engaging breakout sessions that touched on essential soft-skills, professional readiness, and business strategy:

Dress for Success & First Impressions

Students explored the power of professional appearance and confident communication. Through a pitch-style activity, they practiced presenting the importance of professionalism and learned how attire, body language, and confidence influence credibility. 

Team Strategy & Communication

Inspired by the popular game Among Us, students completed a puzzle and built a tower from cards—while believing one teammate was secretly working against the group. The twist? There was no imposter—a powerful lesson about teamwork, assumptions, and navigating workplace challenges with grace, clarity, and collaboration.

Role-Play and Presentation Skills

In the final session, students honed their competition strategies, receiving actionable tips for DECA’s signature role-play component and professional presentation events.

“These students really stepped outside their comfort zones and embraced every opportunity to grow,” said DECA moderator Mrs. Nicole Schawang. “They learned what it means to present themselves as professionals, work through conflict, and confidently deliver ideas—all skills that will serve them well in competition and beyond.”

Mrs. Schawang added, “What makes DECA special is watching students realize their own potential. They came back energized and ready to lift up their teammates. Their leadership will have a ripple effect on our entire chapter.”

With fresh insight and new leadership tools, JPII’s student delegates are now eager to represent the Golden Warriors proudly at Regionals.

The future of business leadership is bright at JPII! Congratulations to these outstanding student leaders and best of luck to our entire DECA chapter as they prepare for competition season!