Three student teams, selected from a state-wide pool of contestants, competed on Feb. 7 in the Delaware Personal Finance Case Study Competition (PFCSC) sponsored by the University of Delaware’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (CEEE).

All of the PFCSC student teams come from schools that participate in the Academy of Finance (AOF) Pathway program, one of the many programs now offered in Delaware high schools that deals with financial planning. Using skills learned in their AOF Pathway program, students examined a simulated, real-world situation and presented their solutions to a panel of judges from the UD and greater business and educational communities.

According to Associate Director for the CEEE Bonnie Meszaros, the CEEE saw an opportunity in the PFCSC to “provide students with a platform to apply personal finance concepts that they were learning in a more real-world situation and in an academic setting.”

As part of the AOF program, teams from around the state researched financial concerns and goals outlined in the case study. The three teams with the highest-scoring financial plans presented their research in person. The first-place team from Middletown High School — Karina Hallett, Lindsey Hallett, Hanna Pinkston and Dana Ridall — received a trophy, and all teams competing on campus received a certificate and cash award for each member and their teacher. The other teams included Deena Johnson, Victoria Jordan and James Stangl from Milford High school and Nina Burns, Logan Leverage-Frye and Taylor Scott from Woodbridge High School.

Milford team member Deena Johnson said, “I’m most proud of the support we had. Our team, our adviser, and our families were always there.”

For further information, please visit: https://lerner.udel.edu/centers/experiential-learning-centers/center-for-economic-education-entrepreneurship/