Accounting Students Excel at Case Competition

For the third year in a row, Isenberg accounting students will be heading to the national finals of the Deloitte FanTAXtic case competition.

Two teams of undergraduates competed at the Northeast regionals, and Team 1—consisting of Abigail Chen '24, Adnan Lakdawala '23, Alex Bishop '22, Emily Kim '25, and Yi Lin '24—came away the winner, with a $2,000 prize for the department. More than 200 students and faculty from approximately 40 colleges and universities participated in the regional competition, and Isenberg’s Team 1 will be one of only 16 teams advancing to the national finals in January in Texas.

“Our Isenberg team was amazing,” says Accounting Lecturer Jennifer Roy, who serves as a faculty advisor to the competing students, along with Senior Lecturer II Catherine Lowry. “They worked very hard and, while only one student had completed a corporate tax course prior to this competition, the team was able to research and understand the relevant tax issues, including thinking about the impact of current and pending tax legislation, applying it to the client situation to identify alternative tax treatments, and develop a recommended solution.” 

Student teams prepared presentations responding to a reality-based case provided by Deloitte, and the firm’s tax professionals from across the country served as advisors and judges for the competition.

“I was very impressed with how well they collaborated and presented their findings to the judges, especially in light of such a tight timeline,” Roy continues. “I believe the team’s depth of research, professional presentation and ability to answer the questions posed by the judges at the end of their presentation made our team stand out as winners. “