Meehan Students Prevail During Global Business Competition

San Francisco’s Major League Baseball players aren’t the only Giants to make a name for themselves in Golden Gate City as of late. 

Thirty-five students from Stonehill College’s Distributed Education Clubs of America (DECA) chapter recently visited the West Coast to participate in the International Career Development Conference (ICDC). Over the course of several days, they competed against hundreds of other DECA chapters from colleges around the world in events designed to prepare them for careers in business. 

The following students placed in the top 15 internationally in their respective categories and moved on to the final round of competition:

• Isabella Arcidiacono ’25
• Matthew Badeau ’25
• Benjamin Bass ’25
• Angelo DeMaio ’27
• Lucy Frenette ’25
• Shane Howes ’28
• Hayden Kane ’25
• Johana Papa ’25
• Lucas Pushard ’25
• Justin Saslaw ’25
• Christopher Surdoval ’28 
• Joseph Turenne ’25

By the end of the conference, three students took home the DECA Glass award after placing in the top three internationally for their events:

• Lucy Frenette ’25 and Lucas Pushard ’25 in the Event Planning category
• Christopher Surdoval ’28 in the Sales Management and Leadership category

Four students placed in the Top 10 internationally for their competitions:

• Benjamin Bass ’25 and Hayden Kane ’25 in the Business Ethics category
• Johanna Papa ’25 in the Retail Management category
• Joseph Turenne ’25 in the Marketing Management category

Additionally, Stonehill's DECA chapter as a whole was recognized at the ICDC. The group was ranked as one of the top 10 largest and most active chapters internationally. 

Associate Professor of Business Administration Michael Salé, Stonehill DECA faculty advisor, noted that representing the Meehan School of Business at this year’s conference was “truly unforgettable.” 

"Every single member of our chapter, currently the largest among schools in Massachusetts, qualified for the ICDC this year,” he said. “Each student worked very hard leading up to and during the competition, and I’m so grateful that their diligence and fortitude paid off."

Reflecting on what he refers to as "DECA's remarkable growth over the past few years," Salé expressed gratitude toward everyone who has helped make that evolution possible. 

"Thank you to my co-advisor, Assistant Director of Career Development Renee Bernier ’13, as well as the DECA executive board led by President Keiran Leary ’25," he said. "Their invaluable contributions have allowed the chapter to exemplify the power of a Meehan education on a global scale."