Crowded tables were lined up around the school’s Social Heart as professionals from all kinds of fields answered the questions of the bright-eyed Nanuet students around them. Students bustled about, taking a peek into their potential future career at each stand. An air of excitement filled the first floor of the school as students looked into what their future might hold for them.
On November 14th, 2025, the third annual DECA Future Development Fair, a newer Nanuet tradition that allowed students to interact with actual experts in careers that they might want to pursue in the future.
“So the goal of it is to bring in professionals that are in these careers and give students the opportunity to learn more about the different professions,” said Mrs. Svara, the club advisor for DECA at Nanuet. “[Students] ask questions and see if it’s a good fit for them.”
While DECA is known for being a business oriented-club, they ensured that each field a student would want to pursue in the future would be represented in this fair. From healthcare to city planning and even Japanese healing, there was a stall for every type of path a student might want to explore in their future.
“There are internship opportunities,” said senior Melanie Formoso, former DECA president who co-planned the event alongside senior Isabelle Lukang. “There’s a vast variety of careers. So there’s something that everyone can take away from [this].”
Although this is the third DECA Future Development fair at Nanuet, it had never been as expansive as it was this year.
With one dedicated timeslot allotted for students to explore each stand and stands being set up in both the cafeteria and library, this fair was much bigger compared to the smaller lunch events of years past.
This was a huge jump from the small fair in the auditorium last year, commented DECA President of Hospitality Isabelle Lukang. However, seeing each grade in here and the assembly type format carved out time for students of all grades to explore their passions fully, she added.
For the professionals involved, this event was much more to them than just a way to showcase their career.
Mr. Josh Silberbush, an alumni from Nanuet who graduated in 2009, shared that it was the guidance counselors like Mr. Mahoney and teachers who pushed him to go into the field of nursing.
“I was able to embrace who I was in society through Nanuet,” he said. “That’s why I needed to come back because [Mr. Mahoney] and the teachers here really helped me out.”
This event was not just a way for professionals to showcase what they do, but was also a way to give back to the community that allowed them to be in the position they are in today.
An event like this required months of planning from students and officials alike. Although Mrs. Svara and principal Mr. Mahoney had helped with some of the planning and invited some guests, this project was mostly student-led and was the result of months of effort.
“I had nothing to do with this, honestly,” remarked Mrs. Svara. “Melanie Formoso and Isabelle Lukang are the co-chairs. They probably did 90% of the work to put this all together.”
As people from all fields shared their experience and their insights on their career path, planning this event took a lot of effort from the co-coordinators. But after months of planning and hard work, both of the co-chairs said it definitely paid off.
“It was a lot of work, but I definitely think it was worth it in the end,“ commented Formoso.
As this fair came to a close, Formosa stated that she hopes each student leaves knowing that they have control of what’s yet to come.
“They have the opportunity to pave their own path,” she said.