The Journey Is More Important than the End Outcome

Monday, July 5, 2021
by Katie M., Rebecca L., Danielle L., Evelyn K., AFM students

How our team bonded while competing in the SAF Strategy Case Competition

The School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) Strategy Case Competition was an opportunity of a lifetime for our team. Not only did our team develop critical thinking skills and communication skills, but the case competition also allowed our team (named ‘The Beehive’) to develop an even stronger friendship. They often say university is the best time in your life to make memories and develop lifelong friendships, and we found this to be true. 

AFM Students
The SAF Strategy Case Competition allowed our team’s friendship to foster and grow in unimaginable ways, even while in an online setting. From meeting in SAF’s CPA Student Lounge on campus in our first year to working until the early mornings on group projects to working virtually on our case competition together — our friendship has blossomed exponentially. In our short competition timeline, we had to focus, brainstorm, and develop our case ideas, all while undergoing immense pressure. Yet, we were still able to have fun and learn about each other’s interests, passions, and life pursuits.

Despite not placing in the top three of the competition, we believe that the journey was more important than the outcome. Our team was able to apply many skills from our courses into our presentation, including during PowerPoint design and analytical skills from AFM 204 - Introduction to Applied Finance, real-life application skills from AFM 211 - Connections to Business Context, and holistic thinking approaches from AFM 311 - Connections to Ethical Context. However, our knowledge was not just limited to the academic setting; we had to apply soft skills and analytical mindsets developed from our co-op terms at various public accounting firms to create a “let’s do this” mentality.

By combining our academic and professional experience we were able to come up with a solution to a big problem that companies are currently facing. It was very interesting to see how a company we’ve all heard of has challenges that we as students could attempt to solve. So, if you are looking to develop memories and apply foundational concepts to the real world, then the SAF Strategy Case Competition is the case competition for you.