Students Compete in International Case Competition at USC

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Students Compete in International Case Competition at USC

In February a BBA team of three BHP juniors and one iMPA junior competed in the Marshall International Case Competition at USC. Only 17 top-ranked international and U.S. business schools were invited to participate in the competition. Although the McCombs team did not make it to finals, they performed well and placed second in their prelim room.

Teams of students represented schools such as University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, and Washington University in St. Louis. International competitors included Copenhagen Business School, University of Auckland, and National University of Singapore. The format for the competition was a 15-minute presentation with 10-minute Q&A. Teams had 24 hours to read the case and develop their solutions.

This year’s case focused on Intuit, a software company that creates financial tools for consumers and small businesses. Intuit’s most popular products are TurboTax and Quickbooks. The case asked teams to predict the needs of small businesses in 2026 and help Intuit prepare to meet those needs. Teams could recommend adaptations of Intuit’s existing products, suggest a new product offering, pitch a merger/acquisition, or come up with other ideas.

Eric Saldanha, BHP junior, explained the McCombs team’s solution. “We argued that predictive analytics would be the future of business technology,” he said. “With the rise of Big Data, businesses will have massive quantities of data to mine. However, understanding and analyzing that data will be a gargantuan task that Intuit can help with. With recent developments in machine learning and rosy expectations for future growth, we recommended that Intuit make investments in machine learning now so that it is the go-to provider of predictive analytics software for small businesses in 2026.”

The team had a phenomenal time seeing the Los Angeles area, and meeting teams from domestic and international schools. They were able to spend time in Santa Monica and visit The Getty Museum. One of the organized outings for competitors was to a barbecue restaurant in L.A. for dinner. The Texas team was asked many times by other teams how the barbecue compared to Texan fare. The team happily told them Texas barbecue was better.

The competition was a great experience for the four students who represented McCombs. “We learned a lot from the other teams and how they approached the case,” said Saldanha. “For example, non-U.S. teams placed a lot more emphasis on international markets and the needs of businesses in developing economies.” The team relied on each other’s strengths to come up with their solution in the allotted 24 hours and to confidently present it to the judges.

Student travel to case competitions is supported through generous donations to the Business Honors Program. Thank you to our alumni, whose support allows students to have enriching experiences such as this one. If you would like to make a gift to the BHP Alumni Endowed Excellence fund, click here.

Student Spotlight: Gracie Chambers

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Student Spotlight: Gracie Chambers

BHP sophomore Gracie Chambers is a marketing major from Ft. Worth, TX. Gracie characterizes herself as a creative, with an entrepreneurial spirit. She’s interested in pursuing a career in technology, user experience design and fashion.

Coming from a high school of 82 graduates, she was looking for the complete opposite in a college experience – a large university with a winning football team! She was hoping to attend an out-of-state school, but she knew she must consider UT first. After visiting UT though, she fell in love with the campus, McCombs, and the city of Austin. The university had everything she could dream of in a college. The BHP program, with its small cohort, made her transition from a small high school to a large university ideal.

Gracie learned a great deal about business even before entering McCombs. In high school, she started her own clothing line advertising the “city pride” of Fort Worth. “I learned a lot from owning my own business,” she says. “One of the biggest things I learned was how to work with people older than me.  I learned to stand my ground, even though I was younger. I also learned how to manage people.”

Gracie admits that balancing her school work and her business was very difficult. She feels she could have taken the business to a different level, expanding into other cities, but she prioritized school and friends over the business. Due to the demands of her course load, she made the difficult decision to sell her company her freshman year. “I reached out to a few potential buyers who I thought might be interested. I put together a booklet with all of the products, and information about the company, and ended up receiving an offer from a store that sold my products.”

Selling the business was very educational for Gracie who learned all the steps firsthand, including evaluating financial statements, calculating the worth of her business, working with lawyers, negotiating with the buyer and settling taxes.

With the business sold, her focus turned back to academics. While being at McCombs has definitely been a new challenge for Chambers, the BHP community has been a highly supportive. “In BHP, I’ve made awesome friends who encourage me to keep doing my best in whatever I want to do,” she says. Gracie is also a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and is planning to join their executive team.

Professor Spotlight: Greta Fenley – BA101H

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Professor Spotlight: Greta Fenley – BA101H

Greta Fenley teaches BA101: Professional Development and Career Planning, to BHP freshmen every Fall semester and is also the resident BHP matchmaker, but not in the way that you might think. Greta has an extensive personal network of working professionals and alumni, and she’s passionate about connecting you to the right person to jumpstart your own personal and professional development.

“You know, I don’t have a magic wand, but I make students realize that they do. My job is to empower students and make them understand that they can do anything they want to do.  A lot of students come in thinking that they have to do investment banking and consulting, but that’s not the case. I see my job as offering students the space to be whatever they want to be and validating them in that endeavor. And then I start connecting people to each other. Just the other day a student told me that the person I put him in touch with was doing exactly what he wanted to do, but he didn’t even know it because he didn’t even know the role was out there. Through connecting students, I can help them achieve their dreams.”

And even if students don’t realize what that dream is just yet, Greta believes that every path you take eventually leads you to who you’re supposed to become. “All the dots matter. Every experience you go through, you go through for a reason,” she says. “I hear a lot of students say, ‘oh I did that internship that I hated, or that class really hurt my GPA, or I didn’t even place in that case competition,’ but all those small experiences add up to big ones, and you can’t possibly see the significance of things in the moment.”

Greta described a time when she took an internship class in college because it was worth three credits and had no exams. She ended up gaining experience in career services through it, which helped her in a future job application for a career services role. “At the end of the day, the dots all connect and you’ll discover nothing was random.”

But if you’re still concerned that your dots aren’t connecting, go talk to Greta sooner rather than later.  “I wish students would come in before they got stressed out and started doing the ‘what if,’ game,” she says. She also suggests that students come in once a semester, because situations and interests change frequently. “There’s a lot of power in informational interviews, and when I can connect students with people who are like-minded and have been in similar situations, they feel more at ease with where they are. When students come in often enough, I get to know their personality better and what they’re interested in, and I can better connect them. But when students let things get out of hand and are too stressed out, that’s just unnecessary.”

Even if you don’t have any pressing career matters to discuss, swing by and talk to Greta about some of her passions, whether that be her two adorable granddaughters or being outside in nature. The best way to make an appointment with Greta is either through the online career services advising system or by emailing her days and times that work for you.

Calling BHP Students: Apply to be a BHP Peer Mentor or Peer Advisors

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The BHP office is currently taking applications for the roles of Peer Advisor and Peer Mentor. These two positions are essential to the program and are a great way to get more involved, gain skills and help others! Read more about the experiences of Erika Rodriguez and Bethany Rolan below. Applications for these positions are due this Wednesday, March 22nd to the BHP office no later than 5 pm. Check your email or stop by the office for an application.

Peer Mentor – Erika Rodrigues

Why did you apply to be a Peer Mentor?

Throughout high school and college, mentoring has always been something that I really enjoyed. It seemed natural to me to apply to be a Peer Mentor. My own peer mentor, Amy, had a big effect on my life freshman year. The small things she did for us, like cooking us dinner or bringing us cookies after the MIS midterm, meant a lot to me. I went into BHP and UT not really knowing very many people, so knowing that Amy was there to be a guide for my first year was extremely reassuring. I wanted to offer the incoming freshmen the same chances and reassurance that Amy gave me.

Why (or to whom) would you recommend applying for this position?

If you think that you’d never in a million years be cool enough or accomplished enough to be a peer mentor, I want you to apply. I didn’t think that I fit the mold of what it meant to be a Business Honors student. I wasn’t involved in HBA, wasn’t really involved in BHP in general, and most definitely wasn’t involved in anything business-related. And while there are freshmen that come in knowing exactly what kind of business they want to do, there are so many that don’t even know quite why they’re here. Providing insight from a different perspective is almost always reassuring to the freshmen, as so many of them have little to no idea of what they want to do in the future. Your differences make you unique, and that is an idea that is so important to impress upon the freshmen. On the flip side, while diversity is important, what ultimately matters more is how much you care about the freshmen. So don’t not apply because you fit the mold or you don’t fit the mold. Apply because you want to give back to BHP, and because you care about how you can impact the future students of this program.

Any challenges or unexpected parts of the job?

I couldn’t have anticipated how much I would change over the course of one semester of being Peer Mentor. Getting to know myself and others within the context of the PM program translates so easily to other areas of my life and has made me much more confident in the pursuit of what I want to do. Along those lines, being a PM has also reminded me of the importance of friendships. Before, I would prioritize other things, but I’ve come to realize that our most valuable resources is each other – and we should take advantage of that as much as we can.

Peer Advisor – Bethany Rolan

Why did you apply to be a Peer Advisor?

During  my freshman year, I always enjoyed meeting with the academic advisors. I wanted an on-campus job, and thought it would be fun to help other students plan their schedules. I didn’t realize how much I would truly love getting to be involved in planning programming, events, and initiatives with the entire office staff. The Peer Advisors get to know our six person staff better than most students. The staff is an invaluable resources and also a great group of people, and I am so glad I get to work with them each week.

Why (or to whom) would you recommend applying for this position?

I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys planning their classes out semesters in advance, and to anyone who likes people and is patient! The PA role is first and foremost a customer service role because PAs serve as the face of BHP to anyone who comes into the office or calls on the phone. Our first priority is to give our guests (in person or on the phone) a great impression of BHP, and that often takes patience. People who love being a PA, and are good at the job, also have a lot of Microsoft Office skills and are detail-oriented!

What have you enjoyed most about the role?

I have really enjoyed being one of the first students the staff will talk to about new ideas. The fact that the staff trusts the PAs, and wants our input, really speaks to how student-focused BHP is. Being the first-line of student voices and giving input for new programming and initiatives to benefit the entire BHP community has been very rewarding!

HBA Nonprofit Speed Dating Event Exposes Students to Different Paths

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HBA Nonprofit Speed Dating Event Exposes Students to Different Paths

Written by Rachel Diebner

Walking through McCombs, I often catch snippets of conversations about recruiting, finance classes, or infamous MIS assignments. But on the evening of March 8, the conversation was a little different: The Honors Business Association hosted its second annual Nonprofit Speed Dating event.

Business Honors students spent their Wednesday evening wrapped up in discussions with five alumni who have truly made a mark in their communities after leaving the 40 Acres:

  • Amy Moore (BHP ’92), Austin Partners in Education
  • Ashley Haustein, Miracle Foundation
  • Isha Paul (BHP ’12), KIPP Austin Public Schools
  • Jorge Galan, Teach for America
  • Will Robison (BHP ’08), Capital Impact Partners

Our conversations varied wildly. I chatted with Will about how his experience in investment banking, a popular career choice among BHP students, helped him launch his career in the social sector. Isha shared some impressive insights on how McCombs students can bridge the gap between the corporate and nonprofit worlds. Jorge told me stories about how he transformed a rambunctious high school calculus classroom into an innovative learning environment. Every conversation was different and each as exciting as the next.

When the event came to a close, it was hard to wrap up our discussions. The entire room was buzzing with energy — we were swapping ideas for new social impact projects and daydreaming out loud about possible career paths. Sometimes, as a business student, it’s hard to pursue nonprofit interests when everybody else seems to be laser-focused on Wall Street and the prestigious companies that recruit from our Ford Career Center. But nights like this remind me that my BHP education is a strong toolkit and platform to change the world: We’ve certainly seen our alumni embody this ideal, and I can’t wait to see how my BHPals will someday too.