UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The first time Kris Mbah, Kristin Rance and Michael Dalton met each other face-to-face was the day of the regional CFA Institute Research Competition. A few hours later, they took home the trophy and won a shot at nationals.
Mbah, Rance and Dalton represented Penn State World Campus in the competition, which challenges student teams to create an in-depth report and presentation about a company’s stock, enabling them to get real-world analyst experience.
The team, whose members are getting their bachelor’s degrees in finance, bested groups from two other Penn State campuses and other colleges across the state, bringing World Campus its first regional victory in this competition.
“It was so awesome to win,” said Dalton, who lives in Oregon. “I’m a really competitive person, so it wasn’t a question of whether we were going to win — [I felt] we were going to win. It was really validating.”
“We really wanted to be in that number one spot and we delivered,” said Mbah.
They will go up against universities from across the country in the national competition starting Tuesday, April 23, in New York.
Faced with different time zones, video conference calls and full-time work schedules, the road to success was paved with potholes. Early in the process, two team members left, and Mbah, Rance and Dalton doubled their workload to make up the difference.
“I think it was very validating for distance learning,” said Mbah, who lives in Michigan. “I don’t think anyone expected us to win or to be contenders other than our adviser, Dr. Boscaljon.”
Together, they combed through the company’s financial statements, made models and developed a recommendation about whether to buy, sell or hold.
“I think being World Campus students gave us that added advantage,” Mbah said. “We had to be a little more creative and resourceful. We came to our own conclusions.”
“We wanted it and were dedicated and disciplined,” said Rance, who lives in Georgia. “It just goes to show you that we won.”
Mbah and Dalton are both looking to become Chartered Financial Analysts after graduation. Rance is preparing to become a Certified Public Accountant.
"We’ve got what it takes,” Mbah said. “We can step it up and turn it up.”
Visit the Penn State World Campus website for more information on online learning.