By Julia Welter
Irvington High School made history this week when senior Tane Kim captured first place in the Entrepreneurship Series at the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Orlando, Florida. With nearly 20,000 students competing from around the world, Tane’s victory marks Irvington’s first-ever international win at DECA, and a moment that will be remembered for years to come.
Initially announced on April 29 as one of only 20 finalists in his event, Tane advanced to the Grand Award Session, where the top-scoring competitors were called to the stage. Then, in a dramatic conclusion to the conference, Tane was revealed as the top student in the world in his category.
“Competing at ICDC was such a fun experience. The connections I made with my teammates, competitors from other schools, and my advisor Mr. Cipolla was what made the journey for me,” Tane said. “From meeting kids from new schools by the hot tub to taking over Universal at DECA night, it was awesome to see people from all over the world coming together to connect. For my first 3 years, I couldn’t make it past the state level. But this year, I found my way to keep relaxed under pressure and think clearly.”
DECA advisor Mr. Douglas Cipolla, who has led the school’s growing chapter for the past couple of years, was just as excited.
“I am extremely proud to announce that last night at the 2025 ICDC Grand Award Session, Senior Tane Kim not only became our chapter’s first Top 10 overall finalist, but was then crowned the world #1 in Entrepreneurship!” Cipolla posted to the DECA Google Classroom the morning after the awards ceremony. “Huge congrats to Tane, as he is our first ever winner, and my personal first as advisor. This accomplishment was hard-fought and every bit deserved.”
Mr. Cipolla also stated, “Tane has worked hard to achieve this moment and it truly is a fitting way to end his DECA career. I am beyond proud of Tane for believing in himself and using his skills and knowledge to rise above everyone else.”
Tane credited his advisor and fellow team members with helping him get to this point.
“I thank the support system that Mr. Cipolla, our new DECA advisor who joined us last year, set up for us,” Tane said. “He’s worked so hard and poured everything into making this club the biggest at our school. He single handedly fueled the club’s growth, gave us resources for prep that we couldn’t access before, and made all of us excited to take the club seriously. He’s the best. Also, my friends in the club throughout the years, especially Luke Mitchell, Simon Silverman, and my old partner Justin Shapiro, have taught me so much about growing as a person, a speaker, and how to approach different situations both in and out of competition.”
DECA, which stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America, is an organization that prepares high school and college students for careers in marketing, business, hospitality, and finance. The Entrepreneurship Series event requires students to take a written exam and participate in multiple live role-plays, where they must think critically and communicate effectively in real-world business scenarios.
Tane’s win is not only a personal achievement, it’s a turning point for Irvington’s DECA chapter, showing that students from a small public school can compete, and win, on a global stage.
“DECA, regardless of winning, has been one of the most memorable parts of my high school journey,” Tane said. “I encourage all students, regardless of your interests, to give at least one regional competition a try, because it is the one club where anything is possible for any type of person, as long as you find your own voice.“
Congratulations to Tane Kim on this extraordinary and well-deserved achievement!
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