On April 6, the NIU College of Business’s Barsema Hall was buzzing with Illinois high school and community college students who competed for cash prizes in our Business Olympics event.
Students had the opportunity to participate in four areas: the Accountancy Data Visualization Competition; the AI Superhuman Competition; the Big Idea Pitch Competition; and the Valuation Challenge. Each of these challenges allowed students to learn more about an area of business and helped them to see first-hand what working in certain fields might entail.
“We were thrilled to see record-breaking participation in both the 2024 NIU Business Olympics and the NIUIA Valuation Challenge – with over 130 local high school and community college students competing across four academic competitions, it was the most engaged year yet!” said Department of Finance Chair Gina Nicolosi, who led the Valuation Challenge. “It is inspiring to witness the energy created by our current Huskies who help run the event working alongside potential future Huskies.”
“All of our presentations and projects were impressive this year. The effort was just incredible,” said Associate Dean Daewoo Park. “We are so proud of what our teams were able to accomplish.”
Some especially ambitious students walked away with first- and second-place titles for their efforts:
Accounting Data Visualization Competition
First Place ($500)
The InVespers from Neuqua Valley High School made the biggest impression. Team members included Will Eberhart, Ryan Stockl and Tommy Scott.
Second Place ($200)
The Accounting Bandits, made up of Duke Anderson and Keegan Berglind from Burlington Central High School, brought home the second-place win.
The winning teams in the accounting data analytics case competition are selected based on their ability to effectively utilize the provided data to address the business question of diminishing profit margins. They demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the data, valuable insights into the problem and actionable strategies for improvement.
AI Superhuman Competition
Our inaugural AI Superhuman competition was a resounding success, showcasing remarkable achievements. Participants enjoyed engaging with AI to tackle a series of five diverse challenges: AI OM&IS Department Trivia, Find the AI Intruder, AI Pictionary, AI Word Association and Creating Your Team Logo.
First Place ($600)
Sycamore High School’s Team Malevon, made up of students William (Liam) Harris, Steven Chen and Azaan Khanwas, brought home the first place award, outperforming in the AI OMIS Department Trivia and Find the AI Intruder challenges. Their victory was owed to their spirited competitiveness and promptness in navigating the challenges.
Second Place ($300)
Burlington Central High School’s SGR excelled in the AI Word Association challenge and impressed with the most innovative and visually striking team logo. Students Anya Patel, Samantha Sieverding and Gabriella Cunningham presented seamless teamwork and collaborative problem-solving. SGR clinched second place, demonstrating exceptional group dynamics in completing the challenges.
Big Idea Pitch Competition
First Place ($600)
Sign All, a team from Illinois Math and Science Academy comprised of students Aaditya Shah, Gabriella Boscarino and Shridhar Mehendale, won for its presentation of an AI-powered app that uses advanced video analysis to accurately translate American Sign Language (ASL) into English.
Second Place ($200)
Barrington High School’s Blade Blocker, which included students Eleni Marousis and Luke Brierley, won for the pitch of their cut-resistant uniforms for hockey players, which would protect them from getting cut by razor-sharp skate blades.
Valuation Challenge
First Place ($600)
WealthForge, a team from Illinois Math and Science Academy, exhibited brilliant presentation skills and outlined an outstanding quantitative rationale as to why Target should acquire Dick’s Sporting Goods. Team members included Shridhar Mehendale, Sohum Kashyap and Ayan Trivedi. 
Second Place ($500)
Our judges were impressed by The Merger Decree’s storytelling, qualitative reasoning, and thorough rationale for Macy’s acquiring Bath & Body Works. From Neuqua Valley High School, team members included Rheea Kannan, Inuli Silva, Ashmit Gambhir, Sohum Shukla and Anya Manivannan.
Huskie Grit ($100)
This year, a new category was introduced, honoring the most courageous and persistent thinker at the competition. Kennan Kacila from New Trier Township High School won this award for his work on the team Duell’s Disciples. When the rest of his team members were unable to make the event, Kacila presented by himself at two different competitions – both the NIUIA Valuation Challenge and AI Superhuman challenges.
Next year’s Business Olympics is already in the works, with a day of competitions planned for April 5, 2025. For more information about our program, visit go.niu.edu/BO2024.
