Home to some of the world’s biggest media and investment companies, New York City has earned the title as the business capital of the world. For aspiring business leaders part of Woodgrove’s DECA club, there is no better place to gain experience than the Big Apple.
On Thursday, December 5, 2025, 37 students hopped on a charter bus to begin the five hour trip to NYC. These students were all a part of Woodgrove’s extensive Distributive Education Club of America (DECA) program, going with the goal of growing as business people through in-person experiences. They stayed in a hotel in New Jersey, taking the Staten Island Ferry to get across the river and spot the Statue of Liberty. However, that was just the first of over fifteen iconic New York sightings that the group saw on their guided tour.
Junior Madison Barti really enjoyed the trip, her favorite part being the Broadway musical called “& Juliet” that all of the students on the trip got to see. “[We saw the] show that Charli D’Amelio was in. We got to see her on stage and we waited outside to get our playbill signed, and we got nearly the entire cast, so that was pretty iconic,” Barti rejoiced.
While exploring the city without teachers or tour guides, students were encouraged to enjoy the sights with their friends, both for safety and for fun. “We required them to stay with more than one person but we encouraged them to stay in even bigger groups if possible,” Business and Marketing teacher Mr. William Stark explained. “Part of the skills that they develop with a trip like this is independence, being able to go off and explore different parts of the city for a few hours at a time while also being held accountable for returning to a certain location at a certain time.” Along with Stark, Business and Marketing teachers Ms, Kristie Keeler, Ms. Kathleen Laguardia, Ms. Mary Duvall, and Special Education teacher Ms. Kelsey Seymour also accompanied the students on the trip.
The trip was also designed to be a learning experience. During their tour of the city, students were able to see behind the scenes of what it takes to market million dollar businesses. “This was a great opportunity for students to get to see the business capital of the world, to experience a lot of the different types of business that are there, and also just explore the ways that the tourism industry is affected by the holidays,” Stark summarized.
“I think it really helped me understand how things work,” Barti reflected. “At all of the different places that we went to, they’d give us a quick chat about how they do things with business, the social media teams, and the production team. It helped me to become a better and more experienced business person.”
Junior Amelia Crush, who plans to become an entrepreneur in the near future, also felt that the trip helped her gain more experience. “I definitely learned a lot about marketing placement and strategies…It was super cool,” Crush shared.
“This is a really fun opportunity for students. In order to join it, they have to be enrolled in a business and marketing course. If this is something that interests them, they should absolutely check out some of the courses that we offer,” Stark suggested.
For DECA students, New York City has proven itself to be the city where dreams are made of. Whether it is seeing light-up billboard advertisements in Times Square, or seeing how their favorite companies are managed, they were able to have learning experiences that they can not get anywhere else, while also having the time of their lives exploring all that New York City has to offer.