For the first time, the ACHIEVE Case Competition held at Ryerson University was represented from schools across the country; among them, a student team from the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF).

Diane Chan, Michael Chan, Kathleen Li, and Kieng Iv all students in the Master of Accounting program (MAcc) at Waterloo, took on the daunting case competition. The challenge was to analyze an in-depth case study within a two-hour time frame then present their findings and recommendations to a panel of five industry experts during a 15 minute presentation.     

Tested on their knowledge of accounting concepts, the SAF team came well prepared for the task at hand. “In terms of relative knowledge of our team vs. the competition, we had a large advantage,” explains Kieng. “As master level students we had better presentation skills and understanding of the material in the case.”

Engaging and strengthening their skill sets, the day promised to be exciting, challenging, and rewarding for all participating parties. It also gave participants the opportunity to network with some of Canada's brightest and most competitive students, along with leading industry professionals from global corporations.

 “ACHIEVE was actually the first competition I ever took part in. It was a fun experience and I wish I had started participating in these events in earlier years,” explains Diane.

In the end, it was the SAF team that came out on top, taking home a cash prize of $1500.00, trophies, and well deserved bragging rights.

As for how the team plans on spending their portion of the cash prize: Kieng plans on using the money to enter more case competitions, Diane will have a celebratory dinner in Montreal, while Kathleen will gain more knowledge and insight by buying textbooks.