STAMINA INDIVIDUAL CASE COMPETITION
As an individual, I competed in the increasingly popular Stamina Individual Case Competition. I came in with no knowledge of what the case would be about, but I could prepare by attending a session with Marc Cosentino, author of "Case in Point," a case interview preparation guide. With nothing but notes pages, an internet connection, and three sheets of blank paper, I was given 60 minutes to prepare a written visual presentation to help a struggling video game company market effect expansion packs. In my first individual competition, I am honored to have placed in the top four out of almost a dozen competitors.
Challenges overcome:
- First individual case; without the ability to delegate and receive team input, it took immense effort to design an effective presentation while managing limited time, puzzling financials, and written visuals.
- Unfamiliar industry; I had no prior knowledge of the video game industry, so I had to use IBISWorld, Mintel, and Mergent to find recent and accurate industry information.
Featured Competitions
CASE COMPETITIONS
Case competitions are amazing opportunities to hone skills learned in the classroom and apply them to real-world situations. I have dedicated tremendous time and effort to completing 16 case competitions, taking home numerous awards and priceless experience.
CUMMINS CASE COMPETITION
In a new team of three, I competed in the Cummins Case Competition to advise the company on how to take its innovative ISG engine into global markets. We designed an impressive three-part plan, with steps in 2017, 2020 and 2024, to utilize more than a dozen partnerships and construct three new manufacturing lines in India, Brazil and Indiana. Balancing intense financials and numerous international considerations from six continents, we finished in 3rd Place.
Challenges overcome:
- First exposure to a large quantity of financial data; I had to utilize YouTube, my finance textbook, and teamwork to learn how to perform financial calculations I'd never done before. We submitted an Excel spreadsheet with both accurate and organized financial calculations.
- Time obligation; I presented this case between two midterm exams, a team member's dorm flooded, and others needed time to study. We all helped each other, devoted entire weekends, and ensured constant communication to complete this case successfully.
PwC CHALLENGE CASE COMPETITION
In a team of four, I competed in the annual PricewaterhouseCoopers Challenge Competition to advise Pandemonium Technologies, a video game designer, on where and when to open a new facility. For the case, PwC strategically designed three potential locations, two international and one domestic, and my team was tasked with deciding which one and why. After countless hours and several late nights, my team earned a 3rd Place victory.
Challenges overcome:
- Limited information provided about locations that didn't exist; we had to analyze how each of these details would affect the success of our solution.
- Executive summary required; only crucial details could be included and had to be brief, to the point, and ordered logically for quick comprehension.
ROLAND G. PARRISH LIBRARY CASE COMPETITION
I completed my first case competition as part of a team of five freshmen. Post Cereals (as designed by the case creators) needed to freshen up their brands and make them more appealing an increasingly health-conscious market. After 17 hours of hard work, my team earned a 2nd Place victory in what judges described as "impressive and rivaling the work of upperclassmen teams."
Challenges overcome:
- No prior case experience; this was my team's first case competition, so it required resilience and dedication to complete satisfactorily and on-time.
- Tastes and preferences of the cereal industry are relatively well-known; it took effort and creativity to make our proposal stand out among numerous competitors.
