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A team of Colorado State University accounting and finance students, led
by Associate Professor Margarita Lenk in the College of Business, recently
took second place at the national KPMG/ALPFA (Association for Latino
Professionals in Finance and Accounting) business case competition in
Orlando, Fla.
The students involved in the competition were Angelina Alvarado,
David Fox, Emily Manchego, Carlos
Orozco and Marco Rivero.
Students spend several months in advance of the competition on an assigned
corporate case, identifying accounting and tax issues, seeking advice of
industry professionals and organizing their findings to
Strength of Colorado State's accounting and finance education
recognized
At the awards luncheon banquet - attended by more than 3,000 accounting and
finance professionals - the chief executive officers of KPMG and ALPFA
commented on Colorado State's consistently strong teams over the past three
years, Lenk said. They also noted they are confident in the high quality of
professional education that is occurring at Colorado State's College of
Business, Lenk said.
Group judged as one of the very best
During the competition the group was judged not only on what they said in
their presentation but how they said it, including the tone of their voices,
appearance and how they interacted as a team.
"It's always kind of nerve-wracking (to present) but we made sure we were
comfortable with what we were talking about," said Emily Manchego, a senior
accounting major. "It felt really good to realize that I can do this stuff."
For the team of mostly underclassmen, the competition taught them
professional skills to use later in life as well as during their college
careers, such as networking with other college students and top accounting
professionals.
"Even though it was a competition, it didn't feel like one because of all
the networking and new friends we made," said Carlos Orozco, a junior
accounting major.
David Fox was the youngest member of the team, just completing his freshman
year before starting the case project.
"I feel very fortunate to be a part of this," said Fox, an undeclared
accounting sophomore. "We were able to establish a business relationship and
were treated like business professionals, not just students."
Associate professor Margarita Lenk said the group she helped coach spent
hours doing research, many of them at her home. This was the fourth year
Lenk was involved with the project.
"I'm one of those people who doesn't believe in special access," said Lenk
of the team's drive and passion to excel. "We don't get anywhere as a
marketplace and a global leader unless we have the best."
Arizona State University placed first in the competition. The other 23 top
business schools Colorado State beat to place second:
University of Texas - Austin
University of Southern California
University of Washington
Rutgers University
University of California - Berkeley
University of Arizona
Bentley College
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
University of New Mexico
New Mexico State University
Southern Methodist University
Florida International University
University of Texas - San Antonio
University of Houston
Georgia State University
San Diego State University
University of Texas - Pan American
University of Puerto Rico
St. Mary's College of California
Baruch College
University of Texas at Arlington
Queens College in New York
Pace University
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Learn more about the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and
Accounting at http://www.alpfa.org.
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