Two Fashion Institute of Technology students took top honors at Collegiate DECA’s 52nd Annual International Career Development Conference and Competition, held in Anaheim, CA.
Eighth-semester Fashion Merchandising Management (FMM) major Nicole Falcone from Massapequa Park, NY, who studied at the Polimoda International Institute of Fashion Design and Marketing in Florence, Italy, during her third year, took first place internationally in DECA’s Fashion Merchandising and Marketing presentation competition. Falcone won a medallion for a top score on DECA’s 100-question exam about sales, merchandising, and marketing.
FIT DECA chapter president and eighth-semester FMM major, Alyson Mortimer, from North East, MD, received a gold medallion as a top-ten overall finisher internationally in the FMM category. She also earned a medallion for role-playing in two marketing case studies that were presented to industry judges.
DECA, a non-profit organization, strives to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. Collegiate DECA, a student-driven organization, prepares students for careers by integrating skills learned in the classroom into real world experiences. Its conferences and other activities give students unique access to internships, scholarships, competition, and professional networking.
The Fashion Merchandising Management program at FIT is the largest and oldest degree program of its kind in the country. The curriculum blends design knowledge and business practices, with students studying fashion marketing, product development, planning, and fashion management to earn a one- or two-year AAS degree, and a two-year BS degree. The International Fashion Merchandising Management program in Florence and New York – the only one of its kind – allows students to take one year of their bachelor’s program at FIT and one year at the Polimoda International Institute of Fashion Design and Marketing in Italy.
FIT is a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology, with a wide range of programs that are affordable and relevant to today’s rapidly changing industries. Part of the State University of New York, the college offers more than 45 majors leading to the AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees.
