Clarion University seniors Jennifer Garing of Chicora and Darlene Doubet of Meadville, both accounting, corporate finance and personal finance majors, and Alex Dougherty of Sligo, personal finance major, traveled to Anaheim, Calif., Feb. 10-12 to compete in the first FAStech Quiz Bowl and Showcase Competition. The competition was held during the T3 Technology Tools for Today conference.
Finance professor Dr. Jeffrey Eicher chose these students in December 2013, because he felt they had the necessary skills to excel in the competition. The students devoted their winter break to completing work for the competition, including a building a website, creating a financial plan using the popular financial planning software MoneyGuidePro, and making a video explaining their recommendations to their hypothetical clients.
When the competition came, the team was ready – so ready, in fact, they placed second in the Quiz Bowl over schools like Texas Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University and San Diego State University.
“I think during the quiz bowl we had an advantage due to the topics we are exposed to as personal finance majors. At Clarion we are held to a standard to be able to work the calculations and not simply let the computer do the number crunching for us,” Garing said.
The experience provided the students with knowledge that will carry them into their future careers.
“I had a job interview before the competition in which they asked if I knew how to
use Money Guide-Pro. I had not worked with it before, so I was stuck,” Garing said. “Now, after
working with it and getting to know it thanks to this experience, I feel more prepared.”
The conference offered a chance for the students to get out of their comfort zones and to see concepts learned in their coursework applied outside the classroom.
“This competition gave the students real-world experience in creating a comprehensive financial plan with a very short deadline,” Eicher said. “It was a great experience.”
Clarion University is the high-achieving, nationally recognized, comprehensive university that delivers a personal and challenging academic experience.